


Forever, Texas

by Exaggerated_Specificity



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Bottom Jensen, Cowboy!Jared, Dirty Talk, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Meant To Be, Mutual Pining, Nipple Play, Opposites Attract, Oral Sex, Past Infidelity, Pining, Romance, Semi-Public Sex, Sexuality Crisis, Snowballing, Top Jared, doctor!Jensen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-07
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-04-03 08:34:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4094197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exaggerated_Specificity/pseuds/Exaggerated_Specificity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Doctor Jensen Ackles leaves Dallas to take over a practice in the sleepy town of Forever, Texas. He’s still recovering from a long-term relationship with a married co-worker that ended badly and is looking for a fresh start. When he meets gorgeous rancher Jared Padalecki, Jensen quickly finds that his chance at a clean slate might be in jeopardy. Jared isn’t sure what to make of Jensen or what he’s feeling for the handsome doctor and their complicated relationship gets off to very a rocky start. They say opposites attract but is it possible for both men to get over their personal hang ups and make things work?</p><p>Soundtrack available on Spotify <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/gojyochan/playlist/6VrdE07VHYjjO6KtHSkjs5">HERE</a></p><div class="center">
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    <a href="http://gojyochan.livejournal.com/23563.html"></a>
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            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dollylux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dollylux/gifts), [amandaevans07](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amandaevans07/gifts).



> This was written based on the following SPN Meant To Be Prompt: 
> 
> Her Forever Cowboy: The minute he lays eyes on Forever's new doctor, Brett Murphy knows the town—and he—won't be the same. Alisha Cordell is raising the temperature of every male within miles. But the big-city blonde isn't looking to put down roots. The saloon owner and rancher will just have to change the reticent lady doc's mind. A week after she caught her fiancé cheating, Alisha was on a train headed for a Texas town that was barely a blip on the map. So she's stunned at how fast the place is growing on her. That includes the sexy cowboy with the sassy smile and easy-going charm. Brett's also been burned by love, but he's eager for a second chance…with Alisha. Is she ready to make Brett—and Forever—part of her long-term plans? Forever, Texas. Where romance lasts a lifetime.
> 
> My eternal thanks to dollylux for her cheerleading and invaluable ideas and beta skills! I adore you.
> 
> Also, a huge thanks to my dear friend Amanda who gave me some amazing ideas here too. Thank you so much!
> 
> PS: Preston is based on [John Slattery](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Slattery) of Mad Men fame.

“Mama, please,” Jensen interrupted, exasperation clear in his voice. “I’m done arguing about this. I’m still in the middle of packing and the moving truck is coming first thing. I’m going, it’s final, and this isn’t helping.” Jensen hated arguing with his mother but she had been trying to wear him down ever since he announced his decision to leave Dallas. His last night in town was clearly no exception. 

“Fine, Jensen. Fine. You’re so stubborn I swear, you’re just like your father,” Donna huffed. 

Jensen sighed and stopped wrapping dishes in newspaper long enough to get himself a glass of water. At this rate he was going to be up all night packing and he had a six hour drive to look forward to in the morning.

“I’m sorry I raised my voice,” Jensen said softly. He hadn’t been himself the past few weeks and was acutely aware that he was taking it out on everyone around him. “I really need to go. I have a ton left to do…”

“Please, Jensen. Just listen to me, really hear what I’m sayin’. You need to take a step back and give yourself more time to heal before throwing your life away.”

“Throwing my life away? I’ll have my own practice. It’s what I’ve always wanted! I would be an idiot not to take this opportunity.”

“You can have that here! You can’t always run away from your problems, Jensen. What happened with Preston was awful but your friends and family all love and support you no matter what. Don’t let him drive you away. You were always so happy here.” The hurt and desperation was clear in Donna’s voice but Jensen’s patience had all but evaporated. 

“Quit acting like things just didn't work out between us! Preston all but left me at the altar and started screwing women again to erase the fact that our _torrid little affair_ ever even happened! I was his goddamned midlife crisis and now I'm a laughing stock. I have to get the hell out of Dallas. I need a fresh start.”

“Well, don’t come crying to me when that little Podunk town has lost its allure and you’re bored out of your mind. How are you even going to meet anyone there? I hardly think Forever, Texas has a thriving gay scene.” 

“Please, just stop. I’m not worried about my social life, I’m worried about my damn future!” Jensen stopped himself, he wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince his mother or himself anymore. Either way, belaboring the point wasn’t getting him anywhere. Donna was right. Jensen was stubborn but it was a trait he most definitely inherited from her. Jensen softened his tone, trying to reassure his high-strung mother. “It’s only a six hour drive. It’s not like I’m moving to China. I’ll call you when I get there tomorrow, okay? You and Kenzie can come visit me as soon as I get settled.” 

The silence on the other end of the line was deafening. Jensen took a deep breath, removed his glasses, and scrubbed his hand over his face. “Please, Mom. You said I have your love and support, right? Well, this is what I need right now. Please, just trust me. Support my decision,” Jensen said tiredly. 

“Oh, honey, you know I love you. I just hate seeing you like this. This isn’t you. I hate him for what he did to you, Jensen.” Donna’s voice tightened up like she was about to cry. If she started, Jensen would too and his eyes would be red and puffy the entire next day. 

“I love you too, Mom. I’ll call you when I get there.” Jensen hung up before she replied, turning around to look at everything he still had left to do. 

With a loud sigh Jensen opened the fridge and stared at its barren interior. His stomach clawed hungrily at the inside of his abdomen. There was a half-empty jar of capers, a few ancient slices of seven grain bread, and a bottle of Dom Perignon that one of his roommates from med school sent as a gift before getting the memo that the wedding was off. Jensen hadn’t packed the champagne flutes yet so he tore open the foil on the three-hundred dollar bottle of Dom and popped the cork, toasting his amazing view of the Dallas skyline goodbye. 

He knew he was making the right decision, even though it may have seemed extreme to those closest to him. He just wanted to leave the past behind and focus on the career he had worked so hard for.

Jensen finished his medical residency at UT Southwestern in 2009 and joined Forest Lane Women’s Medicine Clinic in Northeast Dallas. A few years into what was promising to be a very successful career in obstetrics and gynecology, Jensen made the mistake of falling in love with one of the other doctors at his practice. Doctor Preston Sanders was a respected obstetrician in his mid-fifties with an aging society wife and two thankless trust fund kids. Preston was silver-haired and handsome, whip smart with a love of sailing and architecture, and he treated Jensen like he was made of porcelain. Their affair lasted nearly three years before Preston finally left his wife and proposed to Jensen. They moved into a nice condo together in Oak Lawn and started planning a destination wedding in Cape Cod. 

While Jensen was lucky to have a fairly liberal and supportive family, Doctor Sanders struggled with his decision to leave his wife for a much younger man. Jensen supported Preston through his messy divorce but, as the wedding date approached, Preston’s behavior became erratic and he asked to postpone the ceremony. A week later, Jensen caught Preston in their bed, balls deep in the new receptionist from their office. A bright eyed, perky-breasted brunette named Katelynne with a penchant for pencil skirts who wasn’t even old enough to drink yet. 

Jensen was devastated both personally and professionally as his relationship crumbled and it took a toll on nearly every aspect of his life. Fortunately, Jensen wasn’t one to wallow in self-pity. He immediately put out his feelers for a new opportunity, preferably far away from the hometown that had become a living, breathing reminder of his mistakes. He vowed to never let love take his eyes off of his own success and stability again. 

Jensen found exactly what he was looking for when he was offered the chance to take over the only OBGYN practice in the small town of Forever, Texas. Doctor Jules Holland had been the sole obstetrician in Forever for nearly fifty years. He had delivered almost every baby in town, including Doctor Chip Doyle, Jensen’s mentor during his residency program. When Chip told Jensen about the Doctor Holland’s offer, Jensen was skeptical but after a little research Jensen sort of fell in love with the idea of Forever. 

It may have only been a six hour drive but Forever was a world away from the enormous, bustling Dallas-metro area. Surrounded by sprawling ranchland and butting up to the Rio Grande River, Forever was a tight-knit community of roughly twenty thousand. There was a university nearby so the population trended younger than most towns its size and the downtown area had undergone some renovation over recent years. Jensen’s office would be at the corner of Elm and Main Street and he could even live within walking distance if he was willing to buy one of the town’s older homes and renovate it. In the end, it had taken him less than a day to decide. He was nervous but his need for a change of scenery was enough to keep him pressing forward. 

Jensen downed his second flute of champagne and turned his focus back on packing up the kitchen. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Jared was closing the bar on his own for the third night in a row and he could feel the exhaustion seeping in around the edges of his vision as he wiped down the extensive hardwood bar top. With his best bartender Jaylene off on maternity leave for the next few months, Jared was short-handed. There weren’t many people he trusted with The Yellow Rose and ultimately the long hours were worth it in the end. Owning the bar had made Jared happier than any of his other accomplishments. 

The first time Jared laid eyes on the run down saloon, every Wild West fantasy he ever had as a kid rushed through his mind. The long, low, dark wood bar was accented by mirror and Tiffany glass with bottles of brown liquor stretching as far as the eye could see. The tin ceiling was intricately embossed and still marred with dozens of bullet holes from the Rose’s heyday, where gamblers, cowboys, desperados, and cattle barons alike gathered to play cards and drink rotgut. Hunting trophies and vintage photos decorated the interior and they were all authentic Padalecki family heirlooms, not something out of a kit like the theme restaurants that had begun popping up across Texas. The Padalecki family had owned ranchland in Forever for generations but Jared wanted something he could call his own.

The Yellow Rose’s previous owners had neglected repairs and its reputation faded with the chipping paint on the hand-carved sign outside. In truth, the whole of Main Street had fallen into disrepair and after Jared returned to his hometown from college he found Forever in need of a facelift. Once he had the means to do so, Jared made it his mission to bring back some of the downtown area’s former charm. 

Jared took over running the Lone Wolf Cattle Ranch from his parents when they retired and moved to Florida in 2005. He always had a mind for business and within the first five years the changes Jared had implemented turned a larger profit than the ranch had earned in the previous decade. With a full, competent staff in place to oversee day-to-day ranch operations, Jared could focus on pet projects. He set sights on the Yellow Rose initially only intending to purchase it and fix it up when he had spare time. He ended up buying every building on that side of the block, including the office building on the corner that housed the only two realtors in the area, a title company, along with Forever’s only dental, OBGYN, and pediatric practices. Jared invested a lot of time and money into the restorations and it gave him a legacy in Forever outside the one established by his lineage. 

It also meant he had more responsibility than just keeping the bar running smoothly. With Doctor Holland retiring, Jared was responsible for helping welcome his replacement to town. Jared was sorry to see Doctor Holland go but he was equally eager to meet the young physician that was taking his place. 

Jared finally finished his nightly duties and thanked the lord he had the good sense not to open the bar until five during the work week. It would be nice to sleep in a bit before making a stop to finally greet the good Doctor Ackles. He felt bad that he hadn’t been able to make it in to meet the man yet, he’d been in town for nearly a month and Jared was already hearing whispers about the young, attractive new doctor. 

“ _He’s so young. Does he really know what he’s doing? Doctor Jules had some big shoes to fill._ ” 

“ _He’s just so darn… pretty? How is he not married to some beauty queen with a whole litter of kids?_ ” 

“ _He must have something to hide. Why else would he come all the way out here?_ ” 

Jared chalked it all up to small town gossip and decided to reserve his judgement until he got to see fuss was all the fuss was about for himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Jared got an early start into town the next day, planning to stop by Doctor Ackles’ office with a bottle of whisky and a potted miniature yellow rose to welcome him to town. It was admittedly a bit corny but Jared was hoping to make an impression as the self-appointed welcome committee to Main Street. 

“Heya, Tracy,” Jared said, quickly scanning office. It was almost lunch time on a Tuesday and the waiting room was empty, perfect for getting some details on the new doctor from the office’s pretty, young receptionist. 

“So, what’s the new doc like, Trace?” Jared asked in an exaggerated but hushed whisper, acting like a gossipy teenager as he leaned over the reception counter and snagged a peppermint out of the dish next to her computer. 

Tracy started working for Doctor Holland a few months after she graduated from Forever Senior High School three years ago and she had a not-so-secret, Texas sized crush on Jared. She had big, blue eyes, long, brown beauty queen curls, and a sharp sense of humor so Jared didn’t really mind. He flirted back as much as he could without giving the sweet girl the wrong idea.

“I dunno, JP. Too early to tell yet, I guess. He’s kinda grumpy!” Tracy mirrored Jared’s whisper, wrinkled up her little button of a nose, and put her hands on her hips. “He barely talks and when he looks at me he’s always sorta’ scowlin’. Shame too, he’s flippin’ gorgeous! Wait ‘til you see him, looks like a darned movie star –” 

The conversation was cut off by the sound of the main lobby door opening. “Have a good day, Mrs. Sullivan,” Doctor Ackles said gently to his elderly patient as he walked arm and arm with her over to the reception desk. “Let Tracy here make you a follow up in two weeks and we’ll see how things improve.”

“Hi, Doctor Ackles,” Tracy said energetically, overcompensating for almost getting caught dishing with Jared. “This here’s Mr. Padalecki, he owns the buildin’!” Tracy’s twang increased and her chubby cheeks went pink as cherry blossoms. Jared pushed back off of the counter and turned around. He smiled and tipped his black cowboy hat to the tall, silver haired woman on Doctor Ackles’ arm and quickly extended his hand to greet his new tenant.

“Pleased to meet you,” Jensen said with a soft smile.

The breath was nearly knocked out of Jared’s lungs as he took in the stunning doctor. Tracy hadn’t been exaggerating. Jensen’s handsome features were almost feminine despite his sharp jawline and high cheekbones. His sandy blonde hair and neatly trimmed beard made his freckles stand out against his tan and his mouth was a perfect, pursed bow of pink. His big, green eyes locked with Jared’s as he introduced himself and they twinkled brightly at Jared from beneath his thick framed glasses. 

“Hello, Doctor Ackles. It’s a pleasure to meet you, too,” Jared said, clasping their palms together in an enthusiastic hand shake. “Glad to have you here. We thought it might take a while to find a replacement for Dr. Holland. Ain’t that right, Tracy?” 

Jared looked over at Tracy again for validation but she was focused on writing Mrs. Sullivan’s appointment down for her. Looking away gave Jared a moment to regroup from the intense, full-body reaction he found himself having to the new doctor. 

“Well, I’m happy to be here,” Jensen said warmly, his smile still soft as he pulled his hand out of Jared’s death-grip. “And, uh, please, you can call me Jensen.” 

Jared smiled and nodded back, unable to help himself from letting his eyes wander. Jensen looked like he just stepped out of a J. Crew catalog. He wore a lavender button up shirt with shimmery grey pinstripes under a whisper soft maroon sweater, precisely pressed grey slacks that matched the stripes on his button up almost exactly, and a pair of black suede wingtips that didn’t have a scuff or speck of dirt on them. He looked more like a supermodel than a doctor.

Jared made eye contact again and rubbed his hands together. “Well I hope you like our little town so far, Jensen. I hope you don’t mind but I brought you a little something.” Jared picked the bottle of high-end whisky up off the counter and handed it to Jensen who looked down at it with a pleased smile. 

“I own this building and a few others on Main, including the saloon, The Yellow Rose.” Jared slid the pretty potted rose across the counter too. “Just, uh, thought it might be nice to brighten up the office.” 

“Well that’s mighty kind. Thank you very much.” Jensen was clearly soft spoken, maybe even a bit of an introvert, and he paused, leaving a big, gaping hole in the conversation that made Jared’s Type-A personality stumble over itself trying to fill the quiet.

“Of course, sure, it’s my pleasure,” Jared stammered. He was rarely one to feel awkward but he was rapidly devolving into a bumbling idiot in the face of Jensen’s stoic beauty. “Well, uh, I’ll be on my way then. If you need anything at all just give me a call, Tracy has my number. I’m at the bar most nights, too if you want to stop in for a drink. On the house!”

“Thank you, Mr. Padalecki. Actually, there are a few things I’ve already jotted down that I think could use your attention. I’ll have Tracy email you the list later, nothing big but it would sure be appreciated. My next patient is coming in at one and I need to read up on her file so if you’ll pardon me.” Jensen nodded and took a step back as he excused himself. 

“It’s no problem at all, and please, call me Jared. I’ll get whatever you need taken care of.”

Jared couldn’t help but let his eyes linger as Jensen turned around and walked back through the office doors. Tracy’s soft chuckle at Jared’s expense pulled him out of his ass-induced trance. He took a deep breath and turned to face Tracy, knowing full well that he probably looked as shaken as he felt. 

“Told ya,” she chirped with a smug smile pinned to her face. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“You need anythin’ else before I head home, Doctor Ackles?” Tracy poked her head into the exam room where Jensen was finishing up the paperwork on his last patient of the day, a petite woman in her early thirties carrying twin girls who had a record that was over an inch thick. 

Jensen looked up from the file in his hand and gave his receptionist a weary smile. Jensen knew Tracy had been trying harder than anyone in the office to make sure he got off on the right foot and he hadn’t exactly been making it easy on her. 

Jensen was having some challenges adjusting to his new surroundings. He did his best to try and convince himself that the change was good and that he needed this move but it didn’t help much as the weeks wore on. The stress and loneliness were starting to wear him down, making him irritable and more withdrawn than usual. Combined with the weight of the breakup that he really hadn’t dealt with properly, Jensen was not much fun to be around as he tried to find his footing. 

He was acutely aware that where he grew up was “Texas light.” Sure, people were friendly but there was a big city distance that kept everyone in their own business to some extent. It seemed like every single person Jensen met in Forever was trying to pick at the chinks in his armor, find a tear in his façade to rip open like a piece of tacky wallpaper. Jensen knew he stuck out like a sore thumb with his Dallas non-accent, designer clothes, and Toyota Prius, and the townsfolk weren’t exactly shy about asking him why he wasn’t wearing a wedding band. He found himself feeling uncomfortable in his own skin for the first time since he came out to his friends and family in college. The anxiety had him lashing out at his employees even though they didn’t deserve it but somehow, Tracy had still managed to be gracious and accommodating.

“No, I don’t think so, Tracy. Thank you,” Jensen said. “Are, uh, all of the files this much of a mess? I’m having to spend about an hour per patient trying to dig through everything so I have a feel for their medical history.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry to say,” Tracy shrugged. “Doctor Holland knew everyone so well he didn’t really spend much time looking at the records.” 

“Gotcha.” Jensen took a deep breath and tilted his head to look past Tracy at the overflowing file room across the hall. Well, at least it gave him something to keep his evenings occupied. Going home every day to an empty house that was at least two sizes too big for him wasn’t exactly enjoyable anyway.

“Oh, one more thing. You gave Mr. Padalecki – sorry, Jared – the list I left you earlier, right?” 

Tracy giggled and covered her mouth, like she tried (and failed) to catch the little sound before it came out. “I sure did, Doctor Ackles. Emailed him after your last appointment got here. He already replied, said he’d get started on everything right away.” 

“Good, thanks,” Jensen said, his eyes flitting up to Tracy’s face. The smile she gave him was soft, her eyebrow arched. 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be showin’ his face around here all the time now that you’re here…” 

Jensen looked back down at his work, feeling the tips of his ears flush pink in embarrassment. Good lord, was he _that_ transparent? 

“He’s a real good landlord, I promise. Always fixed things real quick for Dr. Holland and I know he wants to get off on the right foot with you. Oh, and I almost forgot. He asked me to give you his cell number, like he said, just in case you need anything. I left his business card on the reception desk.” Tracy let her voice trail off again and Jensen could feel her eying him for a reaction. Fine, if she wanted to gossip, Jensen would indulge her.

“So, tell me more about Jared. He owns this building and the Yellow Rose, I know that much. What’s his story?” Jensen looked at Tracy over the edge of the file and cracked a smile as she practically jumped up and down, clasping her hands together and grinning widely. She put down her purse and hopped up on the exam table, swinging her legs like an excited little girl.

“Okay, so Jared’s parents gave him their entire ranch when he was like twenty-five, right after he got home from college. Crazy, right? It’s like a hundred thousand acres! Cattle, horses, farming, forest land, oil rigs. You’ve driven by it, the Lone Wolf Ranch. Guess Jared’s family owned land in Forever for like, hundreds of years.”

“They just gave it to him? That’s odd he didn’t mention it when we talked earlier, I mean that’s a pretty big deal. What did he go to school for?”

“Yep! They retired and moved to Miami, I think. His mama was a history teacher at the high school here so she basically forced JP and his sister to get a good education. It’s not like you can get much of one down here in the sticks. I think he’s got a degree in business or somethin’, sorry I don’t really know.” Tracy smirked at him and bent down like she was about to tell Jensen a secret. “I know he’s all gorgeous and tanned and ripped and everything but he’s _super_ smart, like he knows everything about this town and the whole area, going back to the olden days and he’s a real good business man. He’s seriously such a gentleman too he’s just amazin’.” 

Tracy’s enthusiasm was truly infectious and Jensen found himself dying to know more about the cowboy with the huge smile and boyish dimples. Tracy made it clear that she was eager to continue so Jensen excused himself for a moment to snag the bottle of whisky Jared had given him from his office. He filled two of the paper Dixie cups from the water dispenser in the waiting room with the amber liquid and handed one to Tracy to sip while she filled him in on the rest of Jared’s life story. 

Turned out that Jared was only thirty-one but he was clearly a savvy business man and was apparently something of a leader in the community. He came from a long line of cattle ranchers but his mother’s insistence on college ensured Jared went to a university out of state, “somewhere out east, I think” was all Tracy could offer. 

In recent years, Jared had invested in the town in a major way, buying up the saloon and office building along with several other properties on Main Street, giving downtown Forever a real facelift. He even worked at the Yellow Rose himself on weekends mostly, tending bar, chatting with customers, even bouncing the odd old timer who got rowdy when they had too much to drink. Jensen had no idea how the guy had time for everything he appeared to have his hands in. He figured it must not leave Jared with much time for a social life.

Tracy also let it slip that Jared wasn’t married. Well, not anymore. One of the nurses who went to high school with Jared had told Tracy the guy been burned, badly. He married his high school sweetheart, a bright, quiet girl named Avery Carson, after reconnecting with her post-college. They never had kids and it ended quickly and badly when she left him for his dad’s best ranch hand only a year after Jared’s mom and dad retired. It turned out that Avery’s heart had belonged to the older man for some time and Jared was too much of a romantic, or just too blind, to see what his pretty, freckled blonde was hiding from him.

“I mean, can you believe leaving that precious man for some ol’ ranch hand? I swear if I ever see that hussy again I’ll slap her silly!” 

They laughed together for a bit longer until Jensen found his cup empty and glanced over at the clock. It was almost eight o’clock and he was definitely paying Tracy overtime. 

“Well, we should both get going. Thanks for sitting around here with me, Tracy. Sorry, I’m sure you have a million things you’d rather be doing.” Jensen shrugged and ran his hand over his beard. So what if his only friend in town was his twenty-one year old employee? It was a start.

“Naw, it’s okay Dr. Ackles. Sorry I talk so much, my mama always tells me I need to bite my tongue but I just can’t help it. This town’s like a real-life soap opera sometimes, why not enjoy it?” 

“Uh, do you need a ride home or…?” Jensen stood up, realizing the liquor had gone to his head more than he intended. He swallowed and blinked his eyes a few times. It was his own fault for only eating a handful of cherry tomatoes for lunch. 

“Nope, I’m fine. I don’t know how you drink that stuff, honestly. It’s sorta disgusting!” Fortunately, Tracy had barely touched her cup of whisky, turning up her nose each time she took a small sip. She held the cup out to Jensen and he took it willingly, knowing full well he was going to knock it back as soon as she left.


	3. Chapter 3

The whisky left a bittersweet pool of warm restlessness tingling in Jensen’s stomach that slowly spread out to his limbs. He felt like Tracy’s schoolgirl crush on Jared was transferred onto him by osmosis during their chat and it was both frustrating and exhilarating at the same time. Jensen knew if he went home right away he would end up staring at the ceiling of his sparsely decorated bedroom until he finally gave in to jerking off. He knew he would be thinking of Jared’s smile and huge hands when he did it and that he would feel ridiculously shitty for it in the morning. He needed something to occupy him for a few hours to purge the restless anxiety from his mind. 

He gathered his things to leave the office, pausing next to the reception desk to try and assess how tipsy the liquor had really made him. He drank a few small cups of water from the dispenser, eyes falling on the yellow rose plant sitting in the small clay pot on the counter. Maybe a little walk down to The Yellow Rose would help. Jensen’s gut told him it was a bad idea but before he could mull it over he found himself in motion, embarking on the short walk down Main to the saloon. It was impulsive and maybe even a little desperate on Jensen’s part but the concrete felt good under the soles of his shoes and the night air was refreshing on his flushed face. 

If The Yellow Rose ended up being awful he could probably leave without Jared even noticing. It wasn’t a weekend so he might not even be working. 

“You’re a grown ass man, it’s perfectly fine, perfectly _normal_ , for you to go have a drink. This has nothing to do with the pretty boy in the cowboy hat and shit kickers. You’ve been saying you need to get out more before you drive yourself fuckin’ crazy, Ackles,” he told himself under his breath. “It’s fine, this is _fine_.”

Despite the pep talk Jensen nearly turned around three times before finally reaching the doorway of The Yellow Rose. He could hear music coming from inside, definitely country but upbeat enough for dancing. He steeled his resolve and pushed open the old, oak door. 

The inside of the bar was really quite beautiful, not at all what Jensen had pictured. It was lit well enough to show off the absolutely enormous bar that ran the length of the saloon. It had a satiny, dark, hardwood bar top that looked like it might have been the original, refinished and well-maintained. The mirrors adorning the back of the bar were antique, a beautiful accent to the tin-tiled ceiling and rustic-looking bar stools. There were several bar jockeys, old timers mostly, and a group of middle aged women practicing line dancing to a Dolly Parton tune Jensen knew fairly well. He grew up in Texas, after all. His cheeks pinked up at the lyrics, regardless.

_A cross between a movie star  
 _And a hero in a book  
 _Romeo comes struttin' in  
 _And everybody looks  
 _'Cause he's just got that special thang  
 _That everybody needs  
 _And everybody wants him  
 _But not as bad as me________

________Jensen felt eyes on him and realized he was still standing with his hand on the door, ready to make a break for it. He looked up to discover Jared looking directly at him, his gorgeous gold-blue eyes pinning Jensen in place like a butterfly on a spreading board. Jared smiled wide and waved, pulling Jensen out of his mild, embarrassment-induced paralysis. He ran his hand over his short beard and smiled back, waving sheepishly in return, ridiculous considering there was only about ten feet separating him from the bar Jared stood behind._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The aging cowboy a few stools down from where Jensen finally bellied up to the bar gave him a once over with his bushy, grey eyebrow raised. He tipped his glass at Jensen once his assessment was complete and gave him a small nod before focusing back on the bowl of peanuts resting next to his elbow._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Thanks for comin’ in, Jensen! Let me get you something, what’ll it be? We got Shiner and Lone Star on tap or somethin’ harder maybe?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Uh, yeah. Sure, man. Thanks!” Jensen said, still feeling like an utter idiot. “Honestly, I already got started… Had a few sips off that bottle you dropped by earlier.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Well, alright then, let’s get you another! You want it neat or on the rocks?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Uh, neat, please,” Jensen answered softly as he rested back on the leather bar stool. Jared smiled and turned to face the enormous row of bottles behind him. It gave Jensen a chance to truly appreciate Jared’s height and physique. He was certainly built like a man who had done a lot of manual labor. His shoulders and chest were huge and he had the narrow hips and thin legs of most of the cowboys Jensen knew back in Dallas. He was dressed the part too, wearing a pair of snug, dark blue Wranglers with a cream and brown plaid snap button shirt. He had his hat off while he was working and his chin length, chestnut brown hair was tucked behind his ears. Jensen was never much into the cowboy type but Jared’s beautiful eyes, neatly trimmed sideburns, and dimple framed smile nearly knocked Jensen off his feet when he first laid eyes on him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jared checked on the other gentleman at the bar after he slid Jensen his glass. He refilled their beers and the small bowls of peanuts and pretzels sitting on the bar before returning to chat with Jensen. After that he didn’t even pretend to continue working as Jensen sipped his drink, letting the liquor ease him into talking about more than just the weather._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“So, Tracy says you own that big ranch up the road? The Lone Wolf?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yessir, been in the family since my great-grandpa settled down here back in the 1880’s,” Jared said, smiling proudly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“And you’re tending bar, why exactly?” Jensen kidded, smiling knowingly but not letting on to the wealth of info his receptionist had enlightened him with earlier in the evening._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I dunno, this place is just…” Jared looked around the bar with a deep expression of nostalgia and appreciation on his face. “It was the first thing I really did just for me after spendin’ years only invested in making sure my family’s business succeeded. It means a lot to me that it does well, I guess. My main bartender just had another little one so it’s just me tending bar and Luanne waiting tables most nights.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jensen smiled back warmly and looked around, appreciating the work Jared had put into keeping the saloon’s charm and history alive. “Well, it’s not exactly my usual scene,” Jensen smirked, looking down at his two hundred dollar sweater and designer slacks, “but it’s really beautiful, man. Seems like there’s a lot of history here.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jensen listened intently as Jared gave him an abbreviated history of The Yellow Rose and, in turn, the town and his family’s place there. Jensen noticed that Jared kept himself out of the legend for the most part, skirting around his own story and keeping it to the tourist’s version. It was a bit disappointing but Jensen was happy to sit quietly listening to Jared talk forever. The guy was intensely passionate and animated when he spoke, like there was a golden light inside him glowing brightly through his eyes and smile. There seemed to be a lot more to Jared than his huge Texas belt buckle might lead one to believe._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“So, what made you decide to move all the way down here, Doctor?” Jared asked as he made what must have been his fifth pass wiping down the bar top. Jensen straightened up and swirled the last mouthful of whisky in the bottom of his glass as he averted his eyes from Jared’s face, trying to decide how forthcoming he should be. He was feeling more open than he had in as long as he could remember thanks to the drink and Jared’s charming ease._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Well, that’s a long story that is not nearly as interesting as the history lesson you just gave me,” Jensen said slowly and carefully, trying to reign in the whisky-rich tongue that was feeling far looser than he would like. “Let’s, uh, let’s just say I was in desperate need of some new scenery. I know it’s cliché but, I needed a fresh start.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“It’s okay if you don’t wanna talk about it, man. I didn’t mean to pry,” Jared said. “Just know that I’m here if you ever feel like openin’ up, or whatever. I’m sorta used to hearing people’s troubles. I’m basically the closest thing this town has to a shrink,” Jared chuckled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jensen shrugged back, smirking a bit. It made sense really, Jensen couldn’t imagine people in these parts sharing their feelings to anyone but their barkeep or hairdresser._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What makes you think there’s any troubles to tell?” Jensen replied, glancing up. He knew the hurt on his face was as plain as day despite his cheap attempts to hide it. Every time he looked in the mirror Jensen saw how emotionally exhausted he was. It felt like Jared could see straight through him too as their eyes met in that moment. It left Jensen wanting to open up, even if only a little, maybe relieve some of the pressure that had been building in him for months._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Sorry, man. I wasn’t tryin’ to be presumptuous or anything, people just tend to talk around here and I’m as curious as the rest of ‘em, I guess,” Jared paused and looked Jensen in the eyes, smiling softly. “Listen, I’m gonna go check on Maryanne and her friends over there, see if they want another round of cosmos before they feed the jukebox again. When I get back, let me pour you another drink and I’ll have one with you. We can talk about whatever you want, no pressure.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jensen swallowed the last mouthful of whisky and let his eyes follow Jared over to the tables near the dancefloor. Jared was magnetic in a way that made Jensen ache. He was gorgeous and sincere and it made Jensen want to spill his guts about everything in a way he hadn’t since his breakup with Preston. Hell, maybe it would do him some good._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________By the time Jared came back and refilled Jensen’s drink, the two old-timers at the end of the bar had settled their tabs and left. Jared pocketed the cash they’d left, poured himself a drink, and came around to the customer side of the bar to sit down next to Jensen._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________~~~~~~~~~~_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jared watched Doctor Ackles intently as they spoke, fascinated by the intoxicating mix of masculine and feminine in his features. Jensen was intelligent and funny but he was holding back, even putting on a bit of a show for Jared which was completely unnecessary. As he slowly opened up, Jared could see that Jensen was definitely not like anyone Jared knew, certainly not any of the familiar faces in Forever. It piqued Jared’s interest in a way that was too confusing to try and dissect while still in Jensen’s company._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He was still a bit tight lipped once Jared finally sat down next to him and took a swig of his own drink._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“So, is it rude of me to assume your fresh start was more of a… personal one?” Jared asked, testing the waters. He was as curious as anyone and while he was sure Jensen saw a great opportunity to have his own practice in Forever, it was surely one the young doctor could have found in affluent Dallas just as easily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Is it that obvious?” Jensen averted his eyes, looking down into his glass with a full body sigh._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jared could tell from experience that Jensen was just a few sips away from being solidly drunk and he felt a bit bad for being so nosy. He tried to reassure Jensen, easing off the pressure some. “It’s not that, I just – I’ve been there too, man. I happen to be one of those guys that wears his heart on his sleeve, is all. I can tell you’re not so if you ain’t ready to talk about it, no worries. Tell me about your family, where you went to school, hell, we can just talk about the Cowboys if you really want,” Jared smiled and nudged Jensen with his elbow. “But you know, Chester and Willis took off and the ladies have at least four more dances in them before I have to pay them any mind so… I’m just sayin’. I’m here. No reason to hold back with me. I’ve heard it all, believe me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jared knocked back the rest of his drink and reached over the bar to grab the bottle of whiskey, pouring himself another two fingers. Jensen leaned back in his seat and stretched, letting his head loll on his shoulders for a moment before turning a bit so his knees were practically bumping into Jared’s._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Let’s just say I fell in love with the wrong person. A co-worker, actually. They were, uh… already married, so…” Jensen’s eyelashes fluttered behind the lenses of his glasses, his gaze cast down, somewhere near the tips of Jared’s boots. “I never thought that would be me, you know? ‘The other man’ or whatever you wanna call it. It messed me up pretty bad in the long run. I know it was wrong, I mean I knew the entire time but…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jared could see the cracks forming in Jensen’s carefully tended mask. His eyes narrowed and his voice sounded tight like there was a lump forming in his throat. “Hey, man. No need to explain yourself to me. I know maybe better than anyone that the heart wants what the heart wants. Don’t make it right but don’t fuckin’ beat yourself up about it,” Jared said carefully. He had a pretty negative opinion of cheaters, one that hit a personal nerve that ran into the deepest part of his heart. Still, Jared wasn’t one to judge someone he barely knew. He took another drink and tried to push back the personal feelings he hadn’t exactly planned on dredging up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jensen sighed deeply, eyes swimming a bit as he looked back over at Jared who was making a concerted effort not to show emotion in his own face. He could see that Jensen was torn up and it wouldn’t help if Jared was hardened to his story because of the nature of the relationship Jensen described._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“We were together for a long time… Well, it was a long time to me. We were supposed to get married. I was really stupid, I mean, once a cheater, always a cheater and that whole cliché. But it was the longest relationship I ever had. Pretty pathetic right? I had never been in love before and I know I should be ashamed but I really loved h-” Jensen abruptly caught himself, coughing and looking away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jared reacted with empathy and found his hand settling warm and comforting over the curve of Jensen’s muscular shoulder. The surge of intimacy that came with the touch made Jared swallow thickly, instantly regretting the action that could easily be taken as more than a friendly touch. He knew pulling away would make the entire action seem even odder to his new friend so he held his hand steady, giving Jensen’s firm shoulder a solid pat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey, Jensen, man I’m sorry I made you dredge up this stuff, you don’t have to…” Jared eased his hand away, swallowing another mouthful of whiskey._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jensen laughed softly. “It’s okay, I just – I really haven’t talked about this to anyone. Sorry, I should probably go…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Dude, no. If you leave now Maryanne and her pals over there are gonna drag me out on the dancefloor,” Jared smiled and leaned into Jensen, trying to lighten the mood some. “Please, if only for my sake?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jensen laughed and looked over at Jared, the smile lines around his eyes showing again. “Well, no lie, that I’d probably pay to see,” Jensen said as he grinned, waggling his eyebrows a touch. “But if you keep pourin’ you’re gonna have to call me a cab. This stuff is goin’ straight to my head.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“It’s also makin’ you sound like you might actually be Texan after all,” Jared chuckled, enjoying seeing a less buttoned up side of Jensen. “But I hate to break it to you, a ride in my Dodge is the closest thing to a cab around here. Not that I mind at all.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I might be inclined to keep drinkin’ if it means you takin’ me home, Jared,” Jensen said, his voice thick and soft, close enough to the side of Jared’s face that he could feel Jensen’s hot breath on his neck and smell his expensive cologne. Jensen’s hand slid from his own thigh over onto Jared’s knee, his fingers delicately tracing Jared’s kneecap through his jeans before retreating._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jared swallowed thickly. He was anything but prepared for the sudden, urgent rush of arousal that Jensen’s touch sent racing down his spine. Holy shit, Doctor Ackles had just made a blatant pass at him. Jared’s mind was reeling even as his body responded by sending blood rushing to his dick, leaving Jared feeling exposed and light headed. He turned his head abruptly, eyes searching Jensen’s face, sticking for a beat too long on the pretty pink tongue that swept out to wet Jensen’s plush, soft lower lip._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jared cleared his throat as he tore his eyes away. He sat up straight, taking a deep breath and rested his hands on the edge of the bar, ready to push back the barstool and extract himself from the situation before things took a turn Jared was not ready for._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yeah, uh – I mean I have to close down, we’re still open a few hours and I’m the only one here. If you drink some water and eat some pretzels and are still feelin’ tipsy I’d be glad to drive you back to your car or, um, to your house once we close. If you’re worried you had too much, that is.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jared’s shift into curt and professional made Jensen’s face fall. Jared looked away, he couldn’t really process what he was feeling and needed to take a step back, fast. He reached for the bowl of pretzels to his right and slid it over to Jensen as some sort of pathetic peace offering._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Shit,” Jensen mumbled, looking back down into his near-empty glass. “Can I, can you get me a glass of water, Jared? Think I’m just gonna walk back to the office. There’s a couch in the waiting room where I can sober up before I drive home.” He wouldn’t look at Jared, reaching into his pocket to peek at the time on his phone. The silence between them was deafening despite the loud honky-tonk and the stomping of boot heels in the background._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Sure, yeah,” Jared stumbled with his words, feeling awkward and not quite coordinated enough to manage getting up and going back behind the bar._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Look, man. It’s late,” Jensen offered, even though Jared knew it wasn’t quite ten. “Sorry if I – just, I’m sorry. I’m just in a really fucked up place right now and I’m way outta line. Forget it, there’s plenty of water back at the office.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jensen stood and looked at Jared one last time, there was pain and regret on his handsome face but Jared couldn’t manage to speak or look at him with anything other than a blank, shocked stare. Jared didn’t say anything else as Jensen turned and left, not sure the words he had to offer would do anything but make the situation worse._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	4. Chapter 4

Jared went home that night conflicted and more than just a little confused. There was a big, throbbing knot in his stomach that he couldn’t seem to untangle and his mind was racing even though the buzz from the whisky had worn off. Jared had never been all that into guys but, wow, Ackles. To stay he was stunning was an understatement. It would be silly for Jared to pretend he hadn’t been instantly attracted to the man. He hadn’t felt that spark toward anyone in ages and, well, Jared’s family wasn’t a Texas stereotype when it came to sexuality. He was brought up believing love was love and didn’t have a homophobic bone in his body but Jared always considered himself straight. Didn’t he? 

He ended up dissecting his reaction to Jensen’s advance a thousand different ways. It was so sudden and unexpected. Jared was working when it happened and he has a reputation to uphold. What if Maryanne and her girlfriends had seen Jensen with his hand on Jared’s leg? Forever was a small town and most of its residents did not have the liberal ideals that Jared did. Was that the only thing he was frightened of? 

That night he tossed and turned in his bed until well after three in the morning, getting up for water twice because his tongue felt like a dirty bar rag sticking to the roof of his mouth. He finally gave in, if only to get some rest, jacking off to the thought of Jensen’s mouth on his, right there in the middle of The Yellow Rose. Jensen’s plush pink lips wrapped around his dick, pretty green eyes looking up at him through a fan of blonde eyelashes and glasses... Jared came harder than he rad in recent memory and fell asleep within minutes.

The days that followed were as normal as any for Jared, if only on the surface. Somehow he still felt like he was just going through the motions, his mind never straying far from the way Jensen’s fingers felt on his knee, the promise behind his heated words. Jared did his best to focus, nonetheless. He attended a lengthy conference call set up by his attorney with some prospective investors from Japan who were interested in financing The Lone Wolf’s expansion into a full dude ranch complete with guest lodgings, riding lessons, and weekend rodeos. He called his bartender Jaylene after she finally got around to emailing him some pictures of her new baby boy and they made plans for her to start working part-time again in a month. He signed the huge stack of requisition forms, employee assessments, and other paperwork the ranch manager left for him over the weekend. He also read the email from Tracy containing the list of repairs Jensen asked for about a dozen times. It was all minor stuff, things he could get done in one afternoon, but every time he thought about it his mind drifted back to that night, or to all the things he’d rather be doing with or _to_ Jensen than playing “Mister Fix-it.” 

He pushed the thoughts away and chalked it up to pure, hardwired need. The truth was that Jared’s love life was non-existent by his own doing. After what happened with Avery, Jared preferred to immerse himself in professional success rather than personal. He was still young, there was still plenty of time for him to settle down, or so he told his Mama when she asked every few months. He was a self-professed workaholic and he liked it that way but he wasn’t dead. He had just been neglecting his needs. It was the only explanation. Stuff like this should roll off his back, but this thing with Jensen was like a thorn festering in Jared’s proverbial paw.

Five days procrastinating on his duties earned Jared a call from Tracy. “Hey, JP it’s Tracy, from Doctor Ackles’ office.” 

“I know who you are, silly. What’s up?” Jared played dumb, he knew full well why she was calling.

“Well _Doctor Ackles_ wanted me to remind you about the repairs I emailed you the other day. I mean, I gave him your number but he wanted me to call you anyway.”

“Yeah, Tracy, I’m sorry. Tell him I am. Sorry, I mean. I – I’ve just been really busy.” Jared felt like an idiot and an asshole all rolled into one as he stumbled out his weak excuses to Tracy. “Tell ya’ what, I’ll pick up the supplies I need at the hardware store on the way into town and I’ll work on getting everything done by this Friday, okay?” 

Tracy chuckled softly. “That’s fine with me, JP. I’ll let Doctor Ackles know. I gotta warn you though, he’s been on kind of a tear ever since you stopped in the other day – like bitchin’ about every little thing – so you may want to get that stuff done sooner rather than later.” Tracy lowered her voice. “He chewed me out this morning for letting the paper on the copier run out. I’m not the one who decided to redo all the blasted files! Anyway, just so you know...”

“I’m sorry, Trace. I’ll get right on it. I’ll come by today and fix the blinds in the waiting room if I have time. Just tell him I’m sorry, will ya?”

“Okay, well you could just tell him yourself when you get here but, whatever,” Tracy chided. “See ya later, JP.”

Jared got up and read over the list on his phone again. Aside from the blinds, there was a water stain on one of the ceiling tiles in the filing office, a crack in the plaster behind the door in one of the exam rooms, some damaged tile in the patient bathroom, and a leaking faucet in the nurse’s station. Jared was being ridiculous, he should have had all these issues fixed by now. He decided it was time to suck up his pride and try to patch things up with Jensen.

He managed to get everything but the tile work taken care of that same afternoon. Tracy supervised to some extent but Jensen never made an appearance, apparently tending to patients the entire time Jared was there. Jared was relieved. He really didn’t what exactly to do or say to make the situation less awkward. 

A week to the day later and Tracy called again. He had a contractor scheduled come in and fix the bathroom tile on Tuesday so he was a bit surprised to see the office number on his phone display while getting ready to go out and look at the new oil derrick being installed on one of the far corners of Lone Wolf land. 

“Heya, Trace.”

“Hi, JP. Sorry to bother you but the AC is on the fritz and Doctor Ackles is in a foul mood over it. Do you think you could come down today? Maybe a little earlier than you usually do? I’m sure it’d help. He’s been cursin’ your name all mornin’.”

“Shit, Tracy. I have to do some work out on the ranch today. I can try to make it out there before I open The Rose but I might not have time. How bad is it?”

Tracy lowered her voice to a near whisper. “Honestly, JP, I didn’t even notice but Doctor Ackles isn’t happy. What the heck did you say to him anyway? Last week he was all keen on knowin’ your life story but lately it’s like you peed in his damn Cheerios.” 

This was so stupid, they were both grown-ass men. Jared needed to have a conversation with Jensen before the situation made both of their lives miserable.

“Tracy, please. Jensen my cell number again if he wants to call me but otherwise just tell him I will be there as soon as I can, okay? I’ll be busy for the next few hours but I will be there right after.”

“Okay, JP. I’ll tell him. Thanks.”

Jared didn’t make it back into downtown until after five. He had every intention of stopping by the office building before opening but with no one to cover for him, Jared opted to head to The Rose first. He opened the bar and checked his email and phone for messages. No emails, no texts, no missed calls. Thank the Lord. He would just head over after closing up the bar. He set his phone to silent and went to work, pushing the issue with the air conditioning to the back of his mind.

When he checked his phone again at six-thirty, Jared had three missed calls and five texts messages from a number that wasn’t programmed into his phone. He knew without even checking that it was Jensen.

“ _Mr. Padalecki, this is Doctor Ackles. I believe Tracy called you earlier about an issue with our thermostat. Please call me back at your earliest convenience, I’d like a resolution today if possible._ ” Jensen’s voice was terse and overly professional, like he was reading the words off of a script. Jared sighed and deleted the message, letting the next one play.

“ _Mr. Padalecki, Jared. Please, return my call. Tracy says you mentioned coming in before you opened the bar. It’s past five, I assume you’ve opened and we are being ignored. Please, if only for my patients’ comfort, I need this taken care of. Thanks._ ” Jensen was clearly upset but trying his hardest to appeal to Jared. 

The next message made it clear Jensen had lost his patience. “ _This is the third message I’ve left and your lack of response is frankly unacceptable. I need a resolution. I cannot have patients coming into a sweltering office tomorrow. Are you **trying** to damage my reputation? The next call I make will be to a contractor and I will be deducting the repair from next month’s rent._ ” 

Fuck. Jared scanned through the text messages. The escalation of anger in Jensen’s words made his stomach sink. 

Without thinking twice he called Luanne on her night off to ask her to come in and cover him for a few hours so he could go down to check out the AC. She wasn’t the best bartender but she’d been waiting tables for Jared since The Rose opened and would do in a pinch. She got to The Rose in record time and Jared promised to give her any night off she wanted once Jaylene was back to show his gratitude. He typed out a quick reply to Jensen’s last text, keeping it short and to the point. 

_Found someone to cover me at the bar. Hold tight, I will be there in ten minutes._

Jared grabbed his tools out of the truck, hoofed it down the alleyway to the building, and let himself in the back door with his master key. It was just past seven-thirty and the entire building was quiet, lit by the indigo blue of near-summer twilight. The temperature in the lobby seemed fine which Jared confirmed by checking the thermostat. He elected to head straight up to the third floor instead of checking the other units. He hadn’t gotten a call from any of the other tenants so it was possible the issue was be isolated. The lobby of Forever Obstetrics and Gynecology was dim but there was a light on in the file room behind the reception desk. 

Jared found Jensen bent over a patient’s record, shuffling the papers inside before going back to one of the racks to file it alphabetically. Jensen ignored him and let the silence weigh heavy in the room, refusing to look in Jared’s direction. 

“Shouldn’t you have Tracy or one of the nurses do that?” Jared asked softly, motioning toward the piles of forms and folders strewn across the long table.

Jensen stiffened and took a deep breath before turning to face Jared. “I would but I’m very… particular.” Jensen met Jared’s eyes before picking up another manila folder. “These files are an unbelievable mess and besides, what’s the point of going home just to sit around my empty house?”

Jensen’s tone was far more composed than Jared expected given his messages. There was an odd ache in Jared’s chest as he realized it had been almost two weeks since Jensen came into The Rose. Jensen’s face was painted with exhaustion, eyes looking sad and weary as they flickered over Jared.

“I’m sorry it’s so late. I got tied up at the ranch,” Jared offered, feeling truly awful for the entire mess. 

“Well, you’re here now, at least. I don’t know how I’m supposed to get anything done when this place is falling apart.” Jensen sounded more melancholy than angry. His sleeves were rucked up and his pale blue dress shirt was buttoned down low enough to reveal the top of his thin, white v-neck undershirt. His clavicle was highlighted by a sheen of sweat that carried up over Jensen’s neck and cheeks. The temperature had climbed throughout the day and made for a typically hot, muggy, south Texas night. The swamp cooler seemed to only be adding to the humidity, failing almost completely at making it cooler. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry. Just – my plate’s a little full at the moment…” Jared crossed his arms and forced himself to stop apologizing, stop making excuses for his ridiculous behavior. “I’m going to go take a look at the system and see what I can do. If you want to head home, I can make sure and lock up when I’m done. I will fill you in first thing tomorrow.”

“I’ll be here until I’m done with patients J through K,” Jensen said, motioning twoard the pile of manila folders littering the table. “Please just do something about the temperature, I’m going to having patients passing out on me tomorrow if we can’t get it reasonably cool in here.”

It almost pained Jared to hear Jensen being so clinical, his accent completely masked, and a hardness in his eyes that Jared hadn’t noticed before. Jared nodded and headed out to the waiting room. He hung his hat and jean jacket on the hooks near the door and fetched a flashlight out of the maintenance closet in the main hallway in case he needed to check the unit on the roof. 

Nothing seemed to be wrong with thermostat in the office and hall. They were both set to sixty-six degrees but it the air in the room had to be pushing eighty, at least. Jared went downstairs to see if Peter’s Dentistry on the second floor was having a similar issue. The air flow there seemed fine and it was at least ten degrees cooler than up in Doctor Ackles’ office. After another thirty minutes of tinkering with the cooling unit on the roof and the controls back in Jensen’s office, Jared ended up calling his buddy Billy Williamson and leaving a message. Billy owned Williamson Heating and Electric and had installed the new ventilation and cooling system in The Rose when Jared had it renovated a few years back. It was after hours but Billy was a friend and Jared knew he would come by first thing in the morning. 

Jared found Jensen still poring over files in the document office after he hung up with Billy’s answering machine. “I can’t seem to figure out the issue. I checked downstairs and the other offices seem to be getting cool enough, the problem seems isolated to this floor. I called the guy who did the HVAC over at the saloon and left a message, he’ll get back to me in the morning and I’ll have him come look at it first thing.” Jared folded his arms and braced himself for the angry onslaught he saw brewing under Jensen’s passive expression.

“Fucking fantastic,” Jensen barked as he shook his head. He chucked the paperwork in his hand onto the table. “This fucking town I swear, isn’t there anyone who offers around the clock emergency service?” Jensen rucked his hand through his hair, sweat beading on his forehead, as he glared at Jared.

“No, not that I know of,” Jared said ruefully. “I mean, we could probably call someone in from Llano but they’ll charge out the ass. Besides, this isn’t exactly an emergency. It’s not even the hottest part of the year yet. I think the high tomorrow is supposed to be in the low eighties?” 

Jensen’s face was pinched in anger but Jared kept going, trying to problem solve as best he could. “I will bring in a few fans from the supply closet in the basement to help get your exam rooms cool but there’s not much else I can do at this hour, Jensen. I’m sorry.” Jared felt legitimately bad but he was in over his head on this repair. 

Jensen sighed and crossed his arms, turning to face the filing shelf. 

“I’ll help you open up the windows now. Just leave them open tonight and all morning with the swamp cooler fan cranked up. If you close everything off again around nine you should be relatively comfortable until I can get a repair man over here, okay?” 

Jared stepped into the room with his hands jammed into his jeans pockets, leaning toward Jensen to try and see his face for a response. “Look, I’m really sorry. I can’t express that enough. We’ll get it fixed and I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you. Jensen?”

Jensen finally turned, his face bound up with anger and frustration. “This is ridiculous, I know Tracy called you this morning and I was trying to reach you all afternoon!” 

“I know, I apologize. There’s no excuse,” Jared looked down, willing to accept the blame. 

“I mean, did Doctor Holland really put up with this, this, incompetence?” His anger was clearly escalating. “I’ve been here, what, a _month_ and you’ve had to fix one thing or another more times than I can even count!”

“Jensen, please,” Jared sighed, trying his hardest to remain contrite and empathize with his angry tenant. “I will do everything I can to get this fixed as quickly as possible but right now my hands are tied. Don’t make this personal.” Jared regretted saying it before the words were even completely off his tongue. 

“You don’t want _me_ to make this personal, Jared? You’re the one who has avoided me like the plague since that night at your bar. Fuck you,” Jensen seethed, stepping into Jared’s space and punctuating the ‘you’ with a raised, accusatory finger. “I can’t fucking win! You know this was supposed to be my break? My fresh-fucking-start?! Yet, here I am surrounded by incompetent rednecks!” Jensen’s face was flushed red and his body was thrumming with anger.

“Please, Jensen. Calm down,” Jared tried to remain level headed but his blood was starting to boil in turn. “I will get this taken care of, you have my word, but you have to give me a chance. I’m sorry about earlier today, truly, and I know you’re still working through some personal shit but you cannot make that my problem right now.” 

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Jared, but as the landlord of this property it is nothing but _your_ fucking problem.” Jensen stepped even closer, poking his finger into Jared’s sternum and shoving his glasses up higher on his sweaty nose. “You won’t be seeing another dime until I can actually use this space. No, you know what, if you don’t get the AC working by noon tomorrow you’ll be hearing from my attorney.”

Jared felt the anger within him surge, fists balling at his sides as his jaw tensed. “You’re going to need to take a step back, Jensen. I know you’re pissed off but I’m not going to ask you again.”

“Take a step back or what, cowboy? Is that a fucking threat?” Jensen’s face was so close that Jared could smell his sweat, practically taste the coffee on his tongue.

“Jensen, please don’t do this.” Jared swallowed and closed his eyes, resolved in the decision to hold his ground. “Don’t make this about what happened the other night,” he gritted out, looking Jensen square in the eye.

“What _this_ is about,” Jensen growled, “is your utter inability to care of your responsibilities, Mr. Padalecki. It’s about this goddamned building falling apart while you get your dick hard pretending to be some Wild West barkeep!”

Jensen was right about one thing, Jared was hard, so fucking hard he could cut diamonds, but it had nothing to do with The Rose and everything to do with the furious, gorgeous man that was practically pressed up against him in the small, sweltering space. 

“Jensen,” Jared practically groaned, his eyes searching Jensen’s as he wrapped his hand around Jensen’s wrist, pulling his finger away from the center of his chest. He tipped his head closer, their breath mixing in the moment before Jensen surged up and melded their mouths together.

The kiss started out clumsy, messy, and rough, more teeth and force than lips and tongue. Jared’s mind was throbbing red, anger and passion mixing and making him dizzy with lust, frantic with need. Jared grabbed Jensen by the shoulders and dragged him up against his chest, Jensen yielded and let Jared take control of the kiss. He licked into Jensen’s mouth, tongue sweeping over Jensen’s and flicking up to tease the roof of his mouth. Jensen’s short beard was softer than expected as it rasped over Jared’s five o’clock shadow, a delicious contrast against the full, plush wetness of Jensen’s lips. 

Jensen groaned into Jared’s mouth and his arms flew up to circle Jared’s neck, causing Jared to stumble back against the wall with the movement, letting his hands fall to Jensen’s waist. Their hips slotted together, rutting close where they were both hot and hard. The pressure of Jensen’s body against Jared’s aching erection was enough to take his breath away. 

They came up for air eventually, gasping, chests heaving. Jared pivoted their bodies and pressed Jensen against the filing rack before kissing him again, drawn magnetically into the velvet pink of his mouth. He tugged at the bottom of Jensen’s shirt, untucking and pushing up under the hem to get at skin. Jared thumbed over the sandy brown, sweat-damp trail of hair leading down from Jensen’ belly button, long fingers fanning out over his abs as Jensen unbuttoned and shrugged off his dress shirt. Jared pushed Jensen’s undershirt up under his pits, fingers plucking at Jensen’s soft, pink nipples, coaxing them to hard little peaks that Jared had to get his mouth on. He sealed his lips over Jensen’ right nipple, sucking hard and deep, bathing and flicking at it with the tip of his tongue. Jensen tasted like sweat and honeysuckle and Jared’s cock was leaking for him so much he swore it was soaking through his jeans. Jensen moaned and arched into Jared’s touch, pushing his tits out for Jared’s mouth and fingers. 

“Mmm, you like that?” Jared asked coyly before sucking and nipping at Jensen’s nipple again. He worked the left one between his thumb and index finger, plucking and tugging it in rhythm with his mouth suckling at the other. Jensen groaned and showed his appreciation, smoothing his hands over Jared’s shoulders, down his sides, fumbling at his shirt snaps as his hips bucked, needy for friction. 

Jared finally pulled back, giving Jensen’s left nipple a sharp, deep suck to moisten it, thumbing over them both as he leaned back to look at the beautiful, debauched doctor. There was still fire in Jensen’s eyes when his eyelids fluttered open, watching as Jared peeled his own shirts off. Jared’s hands fell to Jensen’s fly, quickly opening the button and tugging down the zipper, pulling Jensen with him as he stepped back toward the filing table. 

“Bend over for me, sugar,” Jared said, barely recognizing his own voice as he caught Jensen’s mouth in another sloppy kiss. Jensen pushed his pants and boxer briefs down over the swell of his ass before he turned, shoving a stack of files onto the floor, and bending over to press his chest against the brown Formica tabletop. 

Jensen looked back at Jared over his shoulder, eyes fluttering down to the curve of Jared’s cock under his big, silver and gold Texas belt buckle. Jared opened his belt and the fly of his jeans before yanking Jensen’s pants down the rest of the way, wetting his lips as he let his hands glide over Jensen’s firm, pale ass. Jensen’s legs were still trapped at the ankles by his pants but he tipped his ass up for Jared anyway, whimpering softly as Jared’s long fingers slid down his crack, dipping gently into his sweat-damp asshole. Jared’s dick throbbed in his pants and his left thumb continued circling Jensen’s entrance, wanting nothing more than to be buried deep inside. He dragged his zipper the rest of the way down and shoved the band of his briefs under his balls, freeing his huge, heavy cock. 

He stepped up to slip his boot-clad feet beside Jensen’s, letting his prick fall thick and hot over Jensen’s crack. “This what you need, Doc? Need this fat cock filling you up?” Jared practically growled, pressing his thumb over the top of his shaft as he thrust against the sweaty crevice. After a few thrusts he managed to leak a messy puddle all over Jensen’s tailbone. He swiped his fingers through the slick and rubbed it into Jensen’s quivering hole, working the tips of his fingers inside as he transferred his precome, using it to help ease the way. Jensen yielded to him easily, the ring of muscle opening like a hungry mouth for Jared’s fingers. 

“Lube,” Jensen panted, arm extending out to point Jared to the exam room across the hall. 

Jared nodded and palmed his dick before hurrying across the hall, opening the drawers under the sink and digging clumsily for the industrial sized tube of KY. Jensen had kicked off his shoes and pants by the time Jared got back and his legs were spread wide, ass tipped up, hole twitching for more of Jared’s affection. 

“Fuckin’ look at you,” Jared groaned, rubbing the slick tip of his cock over Jensen’s pucker. He held it there like a thick, hot promise as he spoke. “Want it fuckin’ bad, don’t you?” Jared asked, slapping his cock wetly over Jensen’s needy little opening. 

Jensen cried out, breathy little, high pitched sobs as Jared slapped his hole. He wasn’t gentle, flogging Jensen’s ass with his big, blood-heavy dick until it was bright pink and the underside of Jared’s erection is nearly numb. Jared left his hard, heavy length resting nestled between Jensen’s cheeks as he opened the tube of KY, squirting some of the cold jelly onto his fingers before depositing the open tube on the empty office chair. 

He pressed two fingertips inside Jensen’s hole and twisted gently before sinking them deep. “Fuck, fuck yes,” Jensen gasped, thighs shaking, sweat beading up along the curve of his spine. 

Jared was panting and thrumming with adrenaline as his feral, animal brain has took over. The part of him that just needed a tight, hot hole to breed was in control and Jensen was begging for it, holding onto the sides of the table, pushing back into Jared’s slick fingers like a bitch in heat. 

“You want this? You want me in you? Tell me,” Jared growled as he thrust his fingers in and out, twisting in the impossible, hot clench of Jensen’s asshole.

“God yes, fuck me. Put it in, Jared, please…” Jensen whined. “Do it. Fuck me bare.”

Jensen’s ass was still vice tight and burning hot around his knuckles but Jared tugged his fingers out quickly and squirted a thick line of KY down the length of his veiny prick, spreading it with his already sloppy wet fingers. He guided the head to Jensen’s slick, pink entrance and pressed gently, watching intently as the muscle surrendered to the spongy tip, opening like a hot mouth to take him. 

Jensen’s body tensed up and he hissed at the burn but Jared pushed forward with firm, even pressure. He held his cock at the base, fingers clutched tight around his own balls, trying to stave off the orgasm that was already pooling at the base of his spine. 

“Fuck, Jared,” Jensen practically yelped, “So fuckin’ big. God yes. Don’t stop…” Jensen’s face was red and sweaty, his eyes were shut tight, and the side of his face was pressed into the table top as Jared’s hips tilted forward, sheathing his cock further. 

Jared released the vice grip on his own dick and grabbed Jensen’s hips, thumbs pressing mercilessly into the small of his back as he shoved the rest of the way inside. Jared finally felt the press of Jensen’s ass against the front of his open jeans, the cold metal of his belt buckle digging into Jensen’s ass cheek. 

Jared stayed there, buried deep, hips quivering with need as he tried to pull himself together. Jensen was so tight, Jared could barely breathe. He shut his eyes, tipping his head back and groaning at the incredible sensation. Jensen was a whimpering, panting mess around him, pelvis twitching as his body adjusted to Jared’s girth.

“Move, Jared. Please. God, please fuck me,” Jensen begged. It was nearly a whisper but it made Jared’s erection twitch and leak in Jensen’s vice-like hold. He gripped Jensen’s hips to steady himself and pulled back slowly, only an inch or two. It was so slick and so tight that Jared knew he wouldn’t last long. 

“Not gonna last,” Jared warned, “So tight, fuck.”

“Please, Jared. I need it hard. Fuck me. I can take it, please. Wanna come on your big dick,” Jensen begged as he shoved back, rocking his hips to try to get Jared to move. 

Jared felt dizzy as he pulled out, groaning loudly at the velvet slide of Jensen’s hole around his cock. He couldn’t help but thrust back in, hard and deep, just like Jensen wanted. The table scooted forward from the force of his thrust and the sound of the metal feet scraping the linoleum made something inside Jared snap. His hips began slapping hard and fast against Jensen’s ass, pounding past the tight muscle to fuck him sloppy, carve out a space inside him made only for Jared’s dick. The zipper of Jared’s jeans and the edge of his huge belt buckle bit at Jensen’s skin as he rode his ass, fucking him rough and deep. 

The rhythm was already erratic, Jared lost somewhere in the waves of need and pleasure that washed over him with each thrust. Jensen was sobbing under him, begging him for harder, deeper, faster, _more_ when Jared had a moment of intense clarity. Fucking this man was like nothing Jared had ever felt before. It was as if Jensen was an extension of Jared’s own cock, every twitch and moan, every breathless gasp shot pure, electric bliss straight to the base of Jared’s dick, coaxing his balls closer and closer to release. Jensen’s tight, sweet ass was clenching around him rhythmically, milking him, desperate for his come.

“Fuck, Jared. I’m so close. Touch me.” Jensen’s cock was swinging, angry red and dripping under the edge of the table, spitting precome all over the linoleum floor. Jared reached for it, curling his fingers around Jensen’s pretty, pink dick, and just like that, Jensen’s body tightened like a vice around Jared. 

Jensen practically screamed as he came, shoving back into Jared’s hips and bucking forward into his fist. Jared couldn’t stop thrusting if he tried, he fucked Jensen right through the clench of it, his free hand gripping Jensen’s ass cheek and holding it open so he could watch himself turn Jensen’s asshole inside out. It was like sliding into heaven each time Jared pounded home, his heavy balls slapping against Jensen’s taint, Jared grunting and moaning as pressure built in his balls. 

“Fuck, Jared. God damn it, yesss! Give me your load, come in my ass.”

Jensen’s words pushed him over the edge. Buried deep, so deep, Jared’s eyes fluttered closed and his head tipped back. Jared came harder than he probably ever had. He gripped Jensen’s hips, fingernails digging into his soft skin, holding their bodies together as his orgasm pulsed through every fiber of Jared’s being.

“Holy shit,” Jared panted, chest heaving as he gasped for breath. “Oh fuck,” he groaned, struggling to push the gravity of what just happened away from his consciousness as long as he could. 

Jared’s knees were like Jell-O and his thigh muscles were shaking uncontrollably as he finally opened his eyes, releasing the harsh grip he had on Jensen’s hips and letting his hands slide over the top of his ass cheeks. He pulled out slowly, whimpering softly at the sensation of slipping wet and heavy out of Jensen’s body.

He ran his thumb over the open, pink gape his dick left behind, pushing a dribble of come back up over Jensen’s swollen rim. Jensen groaned and pushed back into Jared’s touch like he’d take another one of Jared’s loads happily, right fucking them, if Jared could have mustered one. Jared’s cock twitched just thinking about it. 

The room reeked of sex and it was is oppressively hot and quiet as Jared waited for something to give. Jensen’s eyes were closed and he was still breathing hard, holding onto the edges of the table like it was a piece of driftwood and he was a man floating lost at sea. Jared took a deep breath and put his cock away even though it was still lube-slick, dripping come, and partially hard, zipping his jeans back up and buckling his belt before scanning the floor for his shirts. 

Jensen was equally silent as he got up and pulled himself together. Jared wanted to reach out, pull Jensen into his arms, kiss him, thank him, and apologize for all the bullshit that had built up between them but Jensen ducked down the hallway to the patient bathroom and closed the door quietly while Jared tried to figure out how to make his limbs work again. 

He waited awkwardly for a few minutes once he was fully dressed, mind racing through a million questions he didn’t have an answer for. After a moment Jared realized he wasn’t accomplishing anything but sweating through his clothes so he busied himself opening the windows in the lobby. There was a soft breeze and the night air quickly cooled the hot, humid air inside the office by a few degrees. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and walked back down the hall to the bathroom. A strip of light from under the door told Jared that Jensen was there but it was silent as he waited a moment, running his hands through his sweaty mane of hair. 

“Hey, Jensen? I’m – uh, I’m gonna go down and grab those fans from the basement. I’ll be right back.”

There was no answer so Jared turned to make due on his promise from before. Business as usual felt more natural for Jared so he went with it, his boots clacking loudly on the linoleum as he left the office, a lump firmly lodged in his throat.


	5. Chapter 5

Jensen felt the ache of Jared inside him for the next few days. It made his heart flutter with longing, a maddening pit forming in his stomach every time he sat down. He had let Jared leave that night with few words exchanged between them, the residue of Jensen’s petulant anger still heavy in his mind despite the passion that had blossomed from it. He walled himself in with his loneliness and let that beautiful man walk back out into the night without so much as a kind word or a kiss goodbye.

The fans and open windows Jared suggested worked wonders and the air conditioning had been fixed as promised the next day so there was no reason for Jensen to vent any more of his misplaced outrage at Jared. A few days later and Jensen had the air cranked up so cold that patients started to complain.

He had tried his best to chalk up what happened to a one night stand, a simple mistake that he would have to get past, but every time he passed The Yellow Rose he found himself pining for Jared’s gorgeous smile, his comfortable ease. 

In the wake of what happened, Jensen felt like a zombie, just going through the motions of his day-to-day. He knew he was broken, knew he shouldn’t be longing for a man he barely knew, especially one who was ostensibly straight. To make matters worse, the situation made Jensen frustratingly unsure if he could ever really find a future in Forever. He was a round peg in a square hole and the more he tried to make it work, the more he fucked things up. 

Jared should have been off-limits but he gave Jensen that exhilarating, out of control feeling he’d grown accustomed to with Preston, before everything went to hell. Jensen found himself staring at his text messages, a short list of names and conversations that he couldn’t help but run his finger over as he sat in his office. He was supposed to be calling the lab for some blood test results he ordered for Mrs. Bordeaux but instead he was staring blankly at the score of angry texts he sent to Jared the day the AC broke. He flipped back to the message home screen and stared at Preston’s name. He still hadn’t brought himself to delete his ex’s contact from his phone even though he promised himself _never again_.

Jensen’s behavior with Jared had been reckless and jeopardized his clean slate. Even worse, he missed Preston terribly, no matter how badly he had been hurt. He missed his friends and family and hadn’t made any real connections with anyone in Forever. Things between him and Jared were a train wreck and Jensen didn’t have a single clue if he could even fix it now, if he wanted to. 

He dialed the number to the lab on his office phone and typed out a short text message as he waited on hold, hating himself for it even as he hit send. 

_I miss you_

~~~~~~~~~~

True to form, work became a much appreciated escape for Jared in the days that followed. Once he confirmed with Tracy that the repairmen had the AC issue resolved the next morning, Jared busied himself reviewing the documents for the ranch expansion and having impromptu one-on-one’s with all his team leads until it was time for him to head into town and open the bar. He was distracting himself and he knew it but it was easier than thinking about what he was going to do about Jensen.

Nearly a week passed and Jared couldn’t bring himself to reach out to Jensen even though he felt the sting of disappointment every time the door to The Yellow Rose opened and wasn’t Jensen walking in, every time his phone chimed and it wasn’t him. It was ridiculous, even childish, and there was no denying the Jensen-shaped shadow playing on the walls of Jared’s lonely bedroom every time he turned out the lights. He knew next to nothing about Jensen, only a few snippets from the night he came into The Rose, and yet Jared felt connected to him somehow, overcome with an intense desire to know more about the handsome doctor. There were a million reasons to leave it alone, forget it had ever happened, but Jared felt… changed. He stared up at the ceiling in his big, empty bedroom, eventually falling asleep surrounded by the echo of his own loneliness. 

It was a stormy Friday night and Jared and Luanne were the only ones working. The Rose was busier than normal and a large, raucous group of frat boys and their girlfriends had taken over all the tables near the dancefloor. They kept Luanne busy with seemingly never ending rounds of Lone Star and cheap tequila while Jared managed the usual suspects lined up at the bar. 

Shortly past eleven a tall, slender man with silver-white hair pulled up a stool and ordered a glass of Jared’s most expensive bourbon. Jared served him with a polite ‘howdy’ and finished pouring the rest of Luanne’s latest round of drink orders. It was finally slowing down and Jared paused for a moment to drink some water and check his phone when the stranger got his attention.

“Hey, there, Tex. You mind pouring me another?” He smiled and lifted his mostly empty highball glass in Jared’s direction.

“Sure thing, sir. Sorry about that, just tryin’ to catch my breath. It’s a little busy in here tonight and it’s just me and my gal Luanne over there,” Jared explained as he poured the man another drink, giving him a once over. He was well into his fifties and strikingly handsome with sharp features and piercing eyes. His thick, navy blue, cable knit cardigan and blue and gold plaid button up shirt made him look more suited to a swanky country club than Jared’s humble, south Texas saloon.

“This your place then?” He asked Jared before sipping his bourbon. 

“Sure is, bought her a bit worse for wear just over a year ago. Restored as close to the original as I could,” Jared said proudly. 

“Nice work, kid. It’s very rustic. You know, those snotty little rich hipsters eat that shit up nowadays. It’d be a big hit up in Dallas, Houston, Austin even. Ever think of opening more locations?” 

Jared laughed, shaking his head. “No, no, nothin’ like that. It’s a hobby more than anything. I have a day job so this place is runnin’ on fumes as it is.” 

“Well, it’s your loss. What’s your name?” 

“Jared, sir. Jared Padalecki.” Jared shook the man’s hand. His handshake was brisk and firm, much like the man’s general demeanor. 

“Nice to meet you, Jared. Sorry about the Tex thing but your belt buckle is priceless,” the man chuckled, raising an eyebrow. He was clearly poking fun. “I’m Preston. Just passing through and saw your little place here. Glad I stopped in, this bourbon is fantastic. Are there any hotels around here other than Motel 6?”

“Sure, there’s a Courtyard Inn a few exits down I-35. About fifteen minutes away,” Jared answered, not terribly disappointed that Preston didn’t appear to be staying for more than a few drinks.

“Thanks, pal. Appreciate it. Listen, maybe you can help me with something,” Preston said taking another drink. “A good friend of mine moved out here a few months ago. I only know where he works and it’s a little past office hours. Do you happen to know a Doctor Ackles? He’s not answering my calls and I drove all the way down from Dallas to surprise him.” 

Jared practically had to scrape his jaw up off the bar top as the man’s identity came into crystal sharp focus. Of all the things Jared expected to happen when he got up that morning, Jensen’s ex randomly stumbling into The Yellow Rose was not on the menu.

“Yeah, I – he’s, uh – I know him,” Jared stammered, feeling his face flush as he tried to recover from shock. “He’s one of my tenants. I actually own the office building where his practice is.” 

“Well aren’t you the Renaissance man?” Preston grinned and raised his glass toward Jared again. “Good for you, son.”

What a condescending son of a bitch. Jared couldn’t imagine Jensen being with this prick, the guy seriously rubbed Jared the wrong way. Was he actually expecting Jared to give him Jensen’s home address?

“Small world, huh? I guess for a town this size I shouldn’t be surprised. You can save me a helluva lot of time if you don’t mind giving me Jensen’s address. He’s not in the white pages yet, I checked.”

Holy shit. That was exactly what he expected Jared to do. This was clearly a man that was used to getting what he wanted, whenever he wanted it. 

“Sorry, Preston. I don’t have Jensen’s home address. Sad to say I haven’t had the pleasure of bein’ invited over for dinner just yet. Unless he answers you I’m not sure what more I can do. He’s not exactly a regular here.” 

“Ah, well that’s a shame,” Preston sighed as he swallowed the last mouthful of bourbon in his glass. Jared poured him another without Preston asking. He smiled gratefully and took a big drink.

“Like I mentioned though, Jared, he’s not responding to any of my messages so I’m getting a little concerned, as I’m sure you can imagine. Are you positive you don’t have his address in your rolodex somewhere?” 

Jared could feel the redness on his face and neck as Preston pressed the issue. Jared had his own deep, still-healing scars caused by infidelity and Jensen had confessed to being both the other man and the one being cheated on in his relationship with this man. It was one of the things that gave Jared serious reservations about pursuing what had happened between them but now that Jensen’s ex was saddled up to Jared’s bar he felt more like punching Preston in the face than judging Jensen for his past indiscretions.

“Sorry to say I don’t,” Jared said curtly. 

“Well, surely you have his number, right? Maybe you could give him a call for me? Tell him I’m here? Come on, man. I just drove six hours.”

The ‘no’ must have been painted as plain as day across Jared’s face because Preston started to lose his cool a bit, standing up a little to reach into his pocket. He pulled out his iPhone and poked at the screen a few times before turning it toward Jared. 

“Look, he just messaged me the other day. It’s what made me come down here on a whim, okay?”

Jared read the words on the screen. The message was from “Jenny” on Wednesday at 9:32am. Just three small, simple words: _**I miss you**_. Jared ignored the litany of messages Preston had sent in return, eyes falling onto the amber liquid swirling in Preston’s glass. It felt like the floor had fallen out from beneath Jared’s feet. This was Jared’s fault. If he had just fucking talked to Jensen that night, called or messaged him the next day or any of the subsequent days maybe Jensen wouldn’t have been desperate enough to reach out to the smug prick who stomped on his heart. The rush of regret and jealousy made Jared swallow hard, steeling himself before replying.

“I told you, man. I can’t help you with this. Why don’t you go get a room for the night, get some sleep, and try getting a hold of Jensen tomorrow? Tell you what, the drinks are on the house.” At this point Jared just wanted Preston gone. 

Preston shook his head and downed the last of his third stiff drink. He stood, sniffing and opening his wallet that was brimming with bills. “Alright, I get it. Well if you see him, tell him I miss him too.” Preston threw two twenties down on the counter and left without another word.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was a Saturday night and Jensen was at home, painting his living room for the second time since moving in. Mama Ackles had been right, there wasn’t exactly a thriving social scene in Forever but it was probably for the best. He was getting a lot done around the house when he wasn’t at the office. The first shade of deep blue-green paint he chose looked great in the hardware store but once he put it up on the walls it made him think of hospital scrubs when the light from the bay windows was just right. He finally settled on a steely grey-blue that was called Sable Night and was about half way through the second coat when his text tone chimed. He should have probably just ignored it and finished up the paint job but his beer was empty and he was more than a little curious to see who it was. He sat the roller back in the paint tray and stepped down off the ladder for a quick stretch. 

He palmed his phone as he headed to the kitchen with his empty beer bottle, nearly dropping it when he saw who the text message was from. 

Preston. 

Jensen had sent his pathetic text and never heard back. He honestly didn’t think he would. If anything, Jensen had been grateful to Preston for ignoring his weakness. He swallowed hard as he read the message.

_I miss you too, Jen. I want to see you._

The words caused a sudden, sharp ache in the center of Jensen’s chest. The phone buzzed again in his hand.

_Surprise! I’m on my way. Can I see you?_

Jensen abandoned the empty bottle on the counter and sat down at the kitchen table. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He leaned back in his chair, letting the cool, post-rainstorm breeze rush over him from the open kitchen window. The air felt amazing on his skin but his head was full of clay. He couldn’t seem to dig himself out of the hole he had been in for weeks and the thought of Preston showing up unannounced was not helping.

_I’m sorry. For everything. Please?_

Jensen felt frozen and unsure of what to do. He knew Preston was bad for him. Poison, really. As much as he still loved the man, Jensen knew it was a bad idea. The hurt Preston had inflicted ran deep and Jensen still hadn’t healed. The last thing he needed was to reopen wounds that were just barely beginning to scab over. What could he even begin to say to Preston that hadn’t already been said during their breakup? 

As he grappled with the beginning of a reply to Preston’s messages, his phone buzzed again in his hand, not a text this time but a phone call. Preston’s smiling face filled up Jensen’s iPhone screen, his ex’s half of a selfie they took while out on a friend’s yacht out on Lake Arlington about a year ago, when things were good. Really good. His face was gorgeous and tan, smile lines fanning out from underneath his expensive Ray Bans, the grey of his cowl neck sweater and the amber glass of the lenses making Preston’s icy blue eyes glimmer where they peeked out over the top of the frames. 

Jensen bit his lip and closed his eyes. “No,” he whispered out loud to himself. “No, not again.” 

He hit the red decline button and held his breath. Preston was nothing if not persistent. He was a Scorpio, passionate and fierce about getting what he wanted. He wasn’t good with ‘no’ and he was even worse with being ignored. The phone rang again. Jensen declined. He couldn’t do this, he wasn’t strong enough. It was late, he was tired – emotionally more than physically – and he couldn’t trust himself to hear Preston’s voice. Thank God Jensen hadn’t thought to give the man his new address. 

Jensen flipped over to Preston’s contact and scrolled down, clicking the option: ‘Block this Caller.’ He read the warning notification, ‘You will not receive phone calls, messages, or FaceTime from people on this block list,’ it felt so final. He dropped his thumb firmly on the red words ‘Block Contact’ and stood up to plug his phone into the charger so he could finish painting. 

After a fitful night of sleep Jensen spent Sunday doing his best to calm his anxiety and distract himself from the thought of Preston being in town. He went out for a run, pushing himself until his muscles were burning. He fixed himself a huge breakfast after he got home and ate it slowly while leafing through a copy of Rolling Stone that he bought on his drive down to Forever. He called his sister Mackenzie to discuss plans for her and their mom to come down for a visit and placed an order online for custom blinds for the kitchen and living room. 

At around three Jensen remembered that he had two outpatient procedures back to back in the morning and he needed to review the patient files so he would ready to get started when he arrived. He hadn’t heard anything from Preston since blocking his number and his ex hadn’t shown up on his doorstep yet. He told himself it would be fine. Jensen paced for about thirty minutes trying to push past the anxiety vibrating through his body before finally just popping a Xanax and getting in the car.


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of Jared’s weekend had been work heavy and drama light. He found his mind wandering back to Jensen here and there, unable to shake the thought of Preston walking back into his life. It unearthed a swirl of confusing feelings in Jared including a surprising dose of possessive jealousy. It also made Jared think about how he would react if his ex, Avery, showed up on his doorstep wanting to reconcile. It made him angry and nauseous and hopeful all at the same time. He could only imagine how hard Preston’s appearance would be on Jensen.

Jared had the benefit of years to heal from his devastation at his ex-wife’s infidelity and the aftermath of their ugly divorce but it still hurt at times. Every month when he saw the alimony payment on his bank statement, every time he looked out his bedroom window at the old brown barn where they’d shared their first kiss, every time he walked beneath the boughs of the weeping willow where they’d exchanged wedding vows. 

Jared knew Jensen’s burden was great and that seeing Preston again, especially so soon after their breakup, would be difficult to say the least. He thought about reaching out, sending Jensen a text message, even under the pretense of checking in on the building repairs, but he chickened out before hitting send every time. 

On Sunday afternoon, Jared was rounding the corner from Elm onto Main Street on his way to The Rose when saw a sparkling new Silver Audi with dark tinted windows and vanity plates that said **FOXYDOC** parked in front of his small office building. Jared slowed down as a massive pit of anger and jealousy blossomed in his stomach. It was obviously Preston, but on a Sunday? Jared was more than a little concerned about the idea of Jensen showing up and finding Preston waiting for him Monday morning. He finished the short drive to the bar but instead of opening, he walked down the alley toward Elm. The recently paved alleyway behind Main Street emptied out in the parking lot at the rear of the office building and Jensen’s ice blue Prius was the only car parked in the lot. Jared found himself running up to the rear service door, keys jingling in his hand as he rushed to let himself in. 

Jared heard raised voices before he even made it out of the stairwell onto the third floor. He paused for a moment in the hall to catch his breath, trying to make out the words coming from behind the door to Jensen’s practice. The voices were quieter but the snippets of conversation Jared could make out didn’t sound like a happy meeting of two former lovers. 

Jared straightened his hat, tucking his hair behind his ears, before pushing the sleeves of his denim shirt up around his elbows again. He took a deep breath, trying to temper his reaction. He hadn’t seen Jensen since they were… intimate. Jared wasn’t sure what kind of reaction his sudden appearance would garner from either man. 

He let his boot heels clack loudly on the hallway linoleum and rapped firmly on the frosted glass inset on the door before turning the knob. “Is that you, Doctor Ackles?” Jared announced as he opened the door slowly. “It’s Jared, just here to check in, see if everything with the AC is workin’ out okay.” 

Jared scanned the scene as he entered even as he played dumb. He was sure Jensen could see through his pretense as soon as his eyes swept over Jensen’s flushed face, the crinkle between his brows peeked up over the frames of his glasses. He was dressed for the weekend in a pair of worn, paint-stained Levis and a clingy white t-shirt with an orange UT Southwestern logo emblazoned across the chest. Somehow Jensen managed to look like a fucking model even dressed down. There were a few files spread out messily on the desk in front of him like he had been reviewing them when he was interrupted. Preston pivoted to face Jared, his mouth twisted up in an angry snarl. He had a huge bouquet of flowers clenched in his fist. 

Jared made a point of ignoring Preston entirely, looking back at Jensen with the softest, most concerned expression he could manage. “Sorry to interrupt. I just saw you parked in the lot and thought I’d stop by before I opened up The Rose. Is everything okay?” 

“What the actual fuck, Jared?” Jensen gritted out. Jared could see his eyes were glassy with the promise of tears, the words barely making it past his clenched jaw. 

“I’m sorry, Jensen. I was just –” Jared flicked his eyes over to Preston again. “I was concerned about you. That’s all…”

“Well, aren’t you an attentive landlord?” Preston spit, his voice thick with sarcasm. Jared gave the older man a wide smile and a curt nod. Kill em’ with kindness, just like Jared’s Mama always taught him. 

“It’s been _weeks_ , Jared,” Jensen said, swallowing thickly and blinking back angry tears. Jared could see he was only adding to Jensen’s stress and, as much as it pained him, he knew it was better to let Jensen fight his own battles with Preston. This had been a mistake too. Jared was batting a thousand.

“Why exactly are you here again, Tex?” Preston sneered. “You have a little school boy crush on Jensen or something? Pathetic. He’s spoken for, by the way. Now, if you’ll kindly see yourself out, I’m sure you’ve got some shit to kick somewhere.” 

Jared kept his eyes locked on Jensen’s, refusing to acknowledge Preston’s weak mocking. Jared knew he should turn around and leave, forget this ever happened, but his heart was thumping in his chest and the words formed on his tongue before he could think better of it. 

“For what it’s worth, Jensen, you’re too damned good for him,” Jared said earnestly, motioning at Preston dismissively without even giving him a glance. “He’s a prick and he has no respect for you or anyone else. You deserve better.” 

“Oh what, like you, Cowboy? Give me a fucking break. Are you actually listening to this hick’s bullshit, Jen?” Preston interrupted bitterly.

Jared felt his protective nature welling up inside him, the part of Jared that wanted to wrap Jensen in his arms and tell him he deserved better, so much better, than the slime ball standing to his right. His mouth opened to lay into Preston but Jensen beat him to it.

“Jesus Christ, Preston. Shut the fuck up! Like I told you before Jared even got here, you need to get the hell out of my life. Go back to Dallas! We’re fucking through. We’ve _been_ fucking through and I don’t know why you thought showing up on my doorstep would change that. I’m sorry I sent you that text, it was a mistake, but I can’t do this with you, not again. Not ever.”

Jared breathed deep and bit his tongue as Jensen eviscerated Preston. His heart ached as he watched the pain and anger flash across Jensen’s face. 

“Jared,” Jensen’s eyes were suddenly on Jared again but his face was still a mask of fury. “As much as I want to appreciate your concern it’s too fucking little, too fucking late. I need you to go. I need you both to go. Now.” 

Jared nodded solemnly. He wanted to say something more but the right words failed him. He turned and opened the door, holding it and looking back at Preston. As uncomfortable as the ride down the elevator would be, he had no intention of leaving the property without making sure Preston did the same. 

“Preston, please. Just go,” Jensen said sternly, one last time. 

Preston sighed and turned on his heel, giving Jared an angry glare. He paused as he reached the door, chucking the big, sweet-smelling bouquet of flowers into the small trash can next to the water cooler. 

“Have fun with my sloppy seconds, Tex,” Preston snarled, face twisted into a smug smile. Jared looked away from the man, shoving his free hand into his pocket so he would be less tempted to punch the jackass square in the jaw. Jared waited until Preston crossed the hall and got on the elevator before looking back at Jensen. 

“I’m so sorry, Jensen,” Jared said softly, closing the door behind him before Jensen had the chance to tell him to leave again. Jared swallowed hard, realizing he couldn’t fix the mess his own stubborn stupidity had gotten him into this time. It left him aching inside, like he had been punched in the sternum, as he left with his tail between his legs. He took the stairs back down to the rear exit and circled around to the front of the building to make sure Preston was really gone. Thankfully, the silver Audi nowhere to be seen. Jared sighed deeply and walked back to The Yellow Rose with a lump in his throat. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Once Preston and Jared were both gone, Jensen collapsed in the receptionist’s chair and buried his face in his hands. He took a deep breath and pressed his fingertips against his eyelids, glad for the anti-anxiety medication in his system. He was still somewhat rattled and on the verge of tears but he was mostly holding it together. 

The tiny click and rush of cool air as the AC kicked in brought Jensen back from the edge of the pit of self-pity he was about to topple into. He would be better off if he never saw Preston again but he knew he couldn’t leave things the way they were with Jared. At very least they had a business relationship to continue, provided Jensen actually managed to stay strong and not give up everything he had sacrificed to move to Forever. 

He gathered up the files and locked up the office before he had a chance to overthink it. He dumped the paperwork in the backseat of his Prius and walked down to The Rose. He needed to get a few things off his chest.

“We need to talk,” Jensen said sternly, planting his hands on the bar top. The patrons scattered down the length of the bar all turned to look at him but Jensen paid them no mind. 

“Yeah, uh. Yes. Of course,” Jared stuttered. He looked over at the aging blonde waitress lingering near the corner of the bar before raising his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “Hey, y’all, we’re – uh – we’re closin’ down early tonight. Sorry about that! Your drinks are on me, okay. I’ll see y’all next time.” 

The waitress raised her eyebrow, looking back and forth between Jared and Jensen for a moment before reaching for the empty beer glasses sitting in front of two of Jared’s confused customers. 

“You can leave it, Luanne. I’ll clean up. Can you just, uh, lock the front door and turn off the neon signs before you head out?” 

Luanne seemed to pick up the urgency in Jared’s tone and helped usher the bar jockeys out the front door with a minimal amount of squabbling. “A night at home will do you ya’ll some good, spend some time with yer dern wives and kids for once,” Luanne teased as they exited. She locked up and hit the lights. “See you tomorrow, JP. Gimme a call if y’all need anythin’ later,” she said as she gave them both a soft smile and headed for the back door. 

Jensen could hear Reba McEntire singing off in the background as he waited to make sure they were truly alone. He felt the tension radiating off Jared in the relative silence, finally forcing himself to look into Jared’s questioning eyes. 

“Please, Jared. Just – just hear me out for a minute, okay? Then you’ll never have to deal with me again if that’s what you want.” 

“What? Wait. Jensen, what are you – ?” Jared scrambled, shaking his head. 

“Look, I know you think what happened was a mistake,” Jensen said, cutting Jared off. He swallowed hard and focused on his own hand where it was planted firmly on the bar top. “I know I was being an asshole and that I kept pushing your buttons that night. I knew… I just – I didn’t mean things to happen that way. You rejected me and I didn’t take it well. I admit that but I don’t regret what we ended up doing. Even if you do…” Jensen pushed back the ache of rejection and self-doubt, letting his eyes flicker up over Jared’s face before continuing. “It’s pathetic, I know. Guess I never figured out how to land a guy who is, you know, _actually into guys_. I mean, my first long-term relationship was with a man I stole away from his wife and kids. You’d think I’d have learned but, nope. The first smiling face I see and I’m head over fuckin’ heels… Tryin’ to rebound with some Texas rancher who’s as straight as the day is long, egging him into hate-fucking me over an argument about a goddamned air conditioner. I need therapy, man. I’m broken. I’m that fag people warn their kids about. The one who’s out to convert the entire state of Texas.”

Jared slammed his own hand down on the bar. “Shit, Jensen please stop. Don’t do this to yourself. You’re not some gay pariah! You didn’t fuckin’ turn me or make me doubt who I am I just – I never…” Jared’s eyes stayed locked with Jensen’s, wild with a swirl of emotion. “I just – I don’t know how to do _this_ … any of this, okay? I haven’t been with anyone since my ex… You caught me off guard is all.” Jared threw his hands up in exasperation, running them through his long hair. 

They were both breathing hard, Jensen still leaning over the edge of the bar. He stood up with a sigh and relaxed his arms, letting them fall limp at his sides. There was so much confusion and frustration churning between them. Jensen wanted nothing more than to clear the air and figure out what they both really wanted. 

“What are you saying, Jared?” Jensen asked as calmly as he could manage, his eyes trained on Jared’s expression. 

Jared was lost for words, looking back at Jensen wide-eyed like a lost, confused little puppy. 

“Jared, I can’t keep going like this.” Jensen felt the flood gates open inside him, a surge of emotion and honesty boiling up from within. He pulled out one of the bar stools and sat down, rubbing his hands over his face. “I feel like I’m losing my mind here, man. You avoid me like the plague one minute and then show up the next with that God damned look on your face like you want to write me poetry.” Jensen swallowed hard as he leaned forward, folding his arms in front of him. He felt vulnerable and exposed in a way he hadn’t in a long time but the words kept flowing nonetheless. “I don’t know anyone in town besides you and the gals at the office, you get that, right? I feel like I’m suffocating from the loneliness some nights and I’m just tired… So fuckin’ tired of being miserable, lost… I just – I know none of this is your problem, at all, but I need to fix whatever this is between us or I need to go, just admit that I failed and run back to Dallas.” Jensen stopped as he felt tears stinging at the corners of his eyes. 

“It is my problem, Jensen. I am so, so sorry I hurt you – _that I keep hurting you_ – and the last thing in the world I want is for you to go. Please, I want you here. I want you…” Jared leaned forward, his eyes dropping down to Jensen’s lips, pausing for a moment to wet his own before bending down to press their mouths together. 

Jensen practically gasped into the kiss, the emotion behind their exchanged words washing over him like an enormous wave, breaking through the frantic whirlpool of thoughts still swirling dark and noisy in his mind.

The kiss was wet, a bit messy, and the angle was terrible but Jared brought his hand up to cradle the side of Jensen’s face, a reassuring touch that Jensen practically nuzzled into. His thumb ran over Jensen’s beard as his fingers teased back into Jensen’s hairline, pulling him closer and holding him steady. 

Jensen felt a surge of calm wash over him at Jared’s touch, something good and right clicking into place. It simultaneously made his heart beat faster and made him feel almost serene at the exact same time. He kissed Jared back hungrily, feeling truly starved for the sinful-sweet slide of Jared’s lips and tongue. He grasped at the collar of Jared’s shirt as he surged against Jared’s mouth, wanting to convey how much Jared really meant to him. How much he wanted this too.

Tanya Tucker was crooning quietly over the bar speakers when Jared pulled away from the kiss. Jensen met his eyes again and saw a sudden certainty resonating there as Jared spoke. “Jensen I – I want to try and make this work. For real. You and me.” Jared leaned in and kissed Jensen again, soft and sweet, holding his cheek and stroking it gently with is fingertips. Jensen’s hand joined Jared’s at the side of his face, slipping down to wrap around Jared’s wrist to keep himself anchored even as he pulled their lips apart. 

“Jared, are you saying you want to… date me? Be together for real – _publicly_?”

“Yes,” Jared said quickly, certainty in his voice and his shimmering eyes. “I mean, if you do? Jensen, I can’t stop thinking about you. I think I’m, uh, head over heels too…” Jared stumbled, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck with a shy smile.

“Jared, think about what you’re saying for a minute.” Jensen looked at him intensely with his brow knit in doubt. He couldn’t get his hopes up for this, he had to make sure they were on the same page. “This town isn’t exactly a leader in equality, man. I don’t want to cause you any problems. I know you’re kind of important around here and I can’t be the one to screw any of that up for you. I’ve left enough damage in my wake as it is,” Jensen said, his voice almost cracking as he looked away, fighting the threat of tears. 

He let go of his grip on Jared’s wrist and stood up. “I think it’s probably best for us both if I just go. Back home, back to Dallas. Save everyone a whole lot of heart ache.” He turned and took a step toward the door, heart aching in his chest as he forced himself to face reality.

“It doesn’t matter, Jensen, none of it does. None it makes me happy, not really. Not even this place,” Jared said desperately. “I think I’ve just been keeping myself as busy as possible all these years so I wouldn’t really have to think about it, you know? Face all the shit going on in my head. I just know that I want you, Jensen. Here with me. I don’t want you to go.”

“It’s been a lot harder for me to find my way here than I thought it would be, you know? I can’t help but think I’d be better trying to patch myself up back where I belong.” Jensen said softly, almost too quietly for Jared to even hear. Jensen wasn’t trying to pout or give Jared a guilt trip, he was just being pragmatic. This would never work, him and Jared together. It was a ridiculous fantasy to think it ever could.

Suddenly Jared was walking out from behind the bar, his boot heels loud on the hardwood floor. The movement made Jensen turn, pivoting toward Jared as he crossed the space. Jared’s eyes were fierce and his expression was unreadably intense. 

“Jensen, please the past doesn’t matter, all I want is you to let me start this with a clean slate. Let me show you how wonderful things can be here,” Jared pleaded, desperation making his voice quake as he put his hands on Jensen’s shoulders and pulled him into his embrace. “With me.”

Jensen’s heart fluttered in his chest as he let himself slump into Jared’s arms, his firm chest. He couldn’t answer with words, instead his lips found Jared’s neck as he let Jared mesh their bodies together. He grasped at the front of Jared’s shirt, popping the snaps open unintentionally as he used his grip to hold himself upright, licking at the salty-sweet skin under the line of Jared’s jaw. Jared whimpered quietly as Jensen sucked and lapped at his throat. His big hands mapped over the lines of Jensen’s shoulders and back, sliding down to tease at the waistband of Jensen’s jeans. Jared’s big, solid hands slid down over Jensen’s ass and he rocked their hips together as they both began to fill up the front of their jeans.

“Show me, Jared,” Jensen sighed, pulling Jared’s face down for another kiss. “Show me how wonderful it can be.”

Jensen thumbed open the remaining snaps on Jared’s denim dress shirt one by one as Jared sucked on his tongue. He yanked it and his undershirt out of the waist of Jared’s jeans, pulling away for a moment to pull his own t-shirt off over his head before slotting back up against Jared. 

“Thought about this every day since you let me have it. You know that?” Jensen practically purred into Jared’s ear as his hand slipped down over the bulge in the front of Jared’s Wranglers. Jared groaned helplessly as Jensen worked open his belt and zipper. 

“Thought you wanted me to show _you_ , Sugar,” Jared said, voice thick with need as he pushed Jensen’s hands away, sinking to his knees on the floor in the middle of The Rose. He made quick work of Jensen’s worn denim, letting the jeans pull at his feet as he mouthed Jensen’s cock through his grey boxer briefs. Jensen whimpered, his cock jerking under Jared’s lips, leaking precome as Jared teased him through the snug fabric. Jensen’s hands ran through Jared’s long hair, scraping over the back of his neck, as Jared finally tugged the band of Jensen’s underwear down, freeing his dick. 

“You ever do this before?” Jensen asked as he toed off his shoes, giving Jared a sweet smile as he looked down at him. 

Jared grinned up at him with a quick wink. “I’ll trust you to tell me if I get the mechanics of it wrong, Doc,” Jared teased before sucking the fat head of Jensen’s cock between his lips. He swirled his tongue over Jensen’s slit, flicking under the tip like he’d done it a hundred times before, making Jensen groan and tip his head back. He took Jensen as deep as he could, salivating wildly around his shaft, making the slide of it sloppy and wet. 

“Fuck, that’s good,” Jensen groaned, his hands still buried in Jared’s mane, hips starting to buck slightly as he made himself at home inside Jared’s hot, wet mouth. “Gotta slow down if you’re gonna fuck me again though, babe.” 

Jared groaned around Jensen’s dick, reaching down to adjust himself before letting Jensen slip from between his lips. He stood up, grabbing Jensen’s face with both hands, devouring his mouth like it was his last meal. Jensen sighed happily into Jared’s kiss, relishing he feel of Jared’s big hands sliding down Jensen’s neck, over his broad shoulders, and down to his narrow waist, pulling him close so Jensen’s cock was pressed between them, smearing slick all over Jared’s exposed happy trail. 

“C’mere,” Jared said, low and urgent against Jensen’s lips. It was the only warning he gave before pressing his left hand into the small of Jensen’s back and leaned down to grip Jensen’s right thigh with the other, coaxing him to wrap his leg up around Jared’s hip to let Jared lift him. Jensen happily let Jared manhandle him, gasping softly as his arms circled Jared’s neck and his legs wrapped around Jared’s waist like it was second nature. 

Jared carried Jensen over to the low-set bar top, kicking the two end stools aside before sitting Jensen down and taking his mouth in another deep kiss. The bar top wasn’t set much higher than your average kitchen table which made it perfect for what Jensen hoped was coming next, even if it meant the bar’s original owners were probably rolling in their graves. 

Once seated Jensen leaned back, tipping his ass up and scooting his it down to the rounded edge of the bar. He spread his legs and angled his hips, watching as Jared licked his pretty pink lips, shoving his pants down and yanking off his cowboy boots. He slotted back between Jensen’s thighs and pulled their bare chests together, Jensen’s legs wrapping around his waist again, cocks bumping together hard and slick between the press of their bodies.

“You’re fuckin’ gorgeous, you know that?” Jared said as he gripped his dick, backing up just enough to and drag it down the crease of Jensen’s thigh. He let the slick tip tuck up under Jensen’s balls, between his ass cheeks, slipping messy-wet over the tight furl of Jensen’s hole. 

“You’re gonna let me fuck you again? Right here where the whole town drinks their Bud Light?” Jared asked, nipping at Jensen’s bottom lip. 

“Fuck yes, I am. But you’re gonna have to grab my wallet,” Jensen said against Jared’s lips, nodding toward his jeans that were abandoned somewhere near the dancefloor. “There’s lube… A little packet or two in my wallet,” he explained.

“Did you come here plannin’ to seduce me?” Jared winked as he pulled away, fetching the small packet of KY tucked between the tens and fives in Jensen’s wallet. 

“It’s been there since we fucked before… Desperate, I know,” Jensen said a bit self-consciously. “Guess I wanted to be ready in case you had a change of heart…”

Jared ripped the lube open between his teeth and gave Jensen a wide, fox-like smile. “You’re a fuckin’ genius…” He kissed the words into Jensen’s mouth, blindly slicking up his dick and pressing his slippery fingers between Jensen’s spread ass cheeks. He massaged at Jensen’s hole as they kissed, pressing the pads of his fingers against the muscle until it opened for him, accepting his digits in up to the knuckle. Jared worked a bit deeper, twisting gently as he began thrusting shallowly inside Jensen’s hole. 

“Never felt anything as good at this,” Jared groaned, tipping their foreheads together and wrapping his arm around Jensen’s shoulders. He let his gaze fall to where he was stretching Jensen open. “Like a velvet fuckin’ vice around my dick.”

Jensen squeezed his legs around Jared’s waist and reached down for his lubed up cock, guiding the head toward his entrance. “Then put it in,” he groaned, nipping at Jared’s chin and grinding his hips impatiently. “Don’t wanna wait for you anymore.”

Jared’s breath caught in his throat at Jensen’s demand. His fingers slipped free and he pressed forward, bucking up past the tight ring of muscle. Jensen hissed, letting his head tip back, Jared still holding him close as he slid inside in one long, deep thrust. Jared’s dick was big and it carved Jensen open with a burn that sent electricity racing up his spine, making his back arch and his thigh muscles quake. Jared held Jensen close, kissing down his neck and chest as he began to fuck him open with a shallow, smooth rocking of his hips.

Jensen let go of his grip on Jared’s neck and propped his arms behind him, elbows locked so he could ride Jared’s dick. Jared’s hands fell to Jensen’s hips, pulling his ass out a few inches from the edge of the bar so he could fuck up into him harder, sweat beginning to drip down his face and chest from the effort.

“Oh God, Jared. Fuck yes, don’t stop,” Jensen begged as they found a perfect rhythm. Jensen angled his hips so the head of Jared’s cock slid past his prostate on every long, deep thrust. His own dick slapped sloppy wet against his stomach, balls clenching up, ready to come but wanting to make it last. Jared was grunting and moaning with each slide, his sounds egging on Jensen’s own cries, losing himself in the urgency of their coupling. 

“Jared, I’m – ” Jensen yelped, words cut off as Jared nailed his prostate again, pushing him past the point of no return. Jared let Jensen’s weight rest against his pelvis, releasing his hip and curling his right hand grip around Jensen’s straining shaft. Jared’s huge, hot hand on Jensen’s cock made him see stars, talented fingers helping release Jensen’s soul-deep orgasm. 

Jensen shot his load all over his own chest with Jared still fucking up into him rough and sloppy, rhythm lost to the urgent clench of Jensen’s ass. Jensen came so hard some of it splashed up over his neck and chin. Jared groaned as he watched, sounding like a feral animal. He buried himself deep, both hands back on Jensen’s hips as he bent over and licked Jensen’s come from his sternum and throat. Jensen arched up into Jared’s tongue, eyes closed and head lolling back as Jared licked him clean. 

“Come for me, Jared. Fuckin’ fill me up.” Jensen’s voice was ragged and breathless as Jared sealed their lips in together, pushing some of Jensen’s load into his mouth with his tongue. Jensen sucked at Jared’s lips hungrily, gripping the back of Jared’s neck as he felt his body tense. Jared groaned into Jensen’s mouth as he came, cock buried deep in Jensen, short little choppy thrusts becoming wet and hot as his load filled Jensen’s ass. They gasped together, mouths unable to separate for long as they both rode out the aftershocks of their near mutual orgasms.

Jensen wrapped himself around Jared, arms and legs holding on to the huge, sweaty cowboy between his legs, keeping him locked inside. “Oh shit, Jared, ‘s so fuckin’ good. Christ,” Jensen panted, falling back to his elbows on the bartop. 

Jared rested his hands on either side of Jensen’s hips, letting their bodies separate. His huge, still mostly hard dick slipping out of Jensen’s hole with a mutual groan. He looked up at Jensen from beneath a tangled curtain of sweaty brown hair, pushing his hand through it to clear it away from his face. 

“Come home with me,” Jared said, still winded. It wasn’t a question, but Jensen nodded anyway. 

“Can’t wait to see what you can do to me on a more cushy surface,” Jensen said with a wink, pulling Jared into another sweet kiss.

_** One Year Later ** _

Jared and Jensen were married on the grounds of the Lone Wolf Ranch in June the following year. They both said they wanted a small ceremony but seeing as they both had Texas-sized families they ended up with a Texas-sized wedding with about a million flowers, night blooming jasmine and yellow roses mostly, and enough barbeque to feed half the town. 

The old willow tree that had been a solemn reminder of Jared’s failed marriage served as a backdrop to the large, flower draped archway and trellis they tied the knot under in a short, but ridiculously sappy, non-denominational ceremony. There was a huge rainstorm after their vows were said and half the wedding party ended up taking off their shoes and escaping the huge reception tent to dance out on the grass in the downpour, under the huge Texas sky. Once the rain stopped, a bright, beautiful rainbow filled the sky and Jensen cried a little at how happy he was even though he was embarrassed for doing it. 

They took two weeks off for their Honeymoon and went on a cruise across the Mediterranean, leaving their cell phones behind and getting lost in one another before they had to face life as the first gay newlyweds in Forever, Texas history. The town was, for the most part, more welcoming than either man could have ever imagined, the resident’s love for Jared and everything he had done for Forever shook even some of their most staunchly prejudiced neighbors into guarded acceptance. Sure, Jared still worked too much and Jensen was still grumpy when his anxiety was taking its toll but if asked separately, each would say a broken air conditioner was the best thing that ever happened to them.


End file.
